Manava Dharmashastra 4.30

4.30

atra vasediti liṅgātsāyamātithyapratiṣedho'yaṃ pākhaṇḍyādīnāmityāhuḥ | tadayuktam | arcanīyatā'tra nivāryate | na tu sarveṇa sarvamannādyadānamevocyate | divā'pi bhuñjānānāṃ katicit kṣaṇāvāsa upapadyata eva | ato na liṅgaṃ sāyaṃkālasya 'vasediti' | tatra pāṣaṇḍino bāhyaliṅgino raktapaṭa—nagna—carakādayaḥ | vikarmasthāḥ—atrānāpadi ye varṇāntaravṛttyā jīvanti | yathā brāhmaṇaḥ kṣatravṛttyā, kṣatriyo vaiśyavṛttyā ityādi | baiḍālavratikā dāmbhikāḥ | ye ca lokāvarjanārthaṃ agnihotrādyanutiṣṭhanti, 'iti gṛhādi lipsāmaha' iti, na śāstracoditatvena svadharmatayā | śaṭhāḥ | yeṣāmanyat hṛdaye'nyadvāci | upakāraṃ kasyacitpratijñāya kartavyatayā avadhīrayanti, na kurvanti | haitukā nāstikāḥ | 'nāsti paralokaḥ, nāsti dattaṃ, nāsti hutaṃ' ityevaṃ sthitaprajñāḥ | bakavṛttayaḥ dāmbhikā eva, īṣadbhedbhannāḥ | bhedaḥ parasparaṃ darśayiṣyate | vāṅmātreṇāpi | tiṣṭhatu tāvadāsanādidānaṃ, pūjāpūrvakaṃ svāgatam—'āsyatāmatra' ityevamādyapi na vaktavyāḥ | annadānaṃ tu śvapacādiṣviṣyate | tathā ca bhagavān kṛṣṇadvaipāyano'nnadānamevādhikṛtya smaratisma "na pṛcchejjanma na śrutamiti" | nānnapātragaveṣaṇā kartavyetyarthaḥ |

He shall not honour, even with speech, impostors, those who follow improper occupations, those who are cat-like in their behaviour, hypocrites, logicians, and those who behave like herons.—(30)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
In view of the implied meaning of the terms ‘shall dwell,’ people have taken this verse to mean that one shall not offer shelter, for the night, to the impostor and others, who may happen to arrive in the evening. This, however, is not right; what the present verse does is to forbid the honouring of certain persons; and it is not meant that all kinds of food, etc., shall be withheld from them. Even during the day, while people are eating, their presence for a certain time is inevitable; hence the terms, ‘shall live,’ need not necessarily indicate the time of evening.

‘Impostors;’—those who bear external marks (of reli-giosity); e.g., wandeing mendicants who go about in red clothing, or naked, and so on.

‘Those who follow improper occupations;’—i.e., those who, even in normal times, live by occupation fit for other castes; e. g., when the Brāhmaṇa adopts the occupation of the Kṣattriya, or the Kṣattriya that of the Vaiśya, and so forth.

‘Those who are cat-like in their behaviour;’—i.e., those who perform the Agnihotra and other rites, for the purpose of winning popular esteem, hoping to obtain gifts of dwelling, &c., thereby, and not because such rites are their duties prescribed by the sciptures.

‘Hypocrites,’—whose thoughts are different from their speech; e.g., having promised to help some one, they dis-regard him, and do not do anyting at all.

‘Logicians,’—i.e., atheists, those who entertain such notions as ‘there is no other world, there is no good in charity, nor in sacrificial offerings.’

‘Who behave like herons.’—These also are hypocrites, with a slight difference from those mentioned before; this differene between the two shall be shown later on.

‘Even with speech;’—to say nothing of offering the seat, &c.; they are not to be even respectfully welcomed with such words as ‘please come.’ The mere giving of food is meant to be sanctioned, just in the manner in which it is given to low-caste persons. The revered Kṛṣṇa-Dvaipāyana has declared, with reference to the giving of food, as follows—‘One shall not stop to enquire about his birth or learning;’ which means that in the giving of food one should not enquire after the qualifications of the recipient.—(30)