Skandapurana 4.40

Skanda said: / The māhātmya of Avimukteśa has been described before you by me. / Now what do you wish to hear? I shall recount that again. // 1 // Agastya said: / Listening repeatedly to the māhātmya of Avimukteśa, both my ears / Have become exceedingly good at hearing; even so, I am not satiated. // 2 // Tell me, O Six-faced One, how may the attainment of these two / Be gained: the liṅga Avimukteśvara and the kṣetra Avimukta? // 3 // Skanda said: / Listen, O Pot-born one! I shall declare how attainment in this world may come to pass / Of this Avimukta, which bestows one's own highest good, O highly intelligent one! // 4 // The attainment of desired goals is obtained from a mass of merit; / And that merit, O vipra, arises from honoring the path of the Vedas. // 5 // From the contact of a man devoted to the path of the Vedas, O muni, [sins] perish; / Yet Kali and Kāla, finding a flaw, always seek to destroy him. // 6 // Through omitting what is prescribed by rule, and through performing what is forbidden, / Kali and Kāla indeed slay a brāhmaṇa upon seeing a flaw. // 7 // Therefore I will recount before you forbidden conduct; / Abandoning that from afar, a man will not become an inhabitant of hell. // 8 // Onions, village-pigs, śelu fruit, garlic, and gṛñjana carrots, / Cow's colostrum, taṇḍulīya greens, and mushrooms should always be avoided; // 9 // Red saps oozing from incisions, tree resins, pāyasa, apūpa cakes, śaṣkulī pastries, / Meat not offered to gods and ancestors, and milk from a cow whose calf is absent should be abandoned; // 10 // Milk from solid-hoofed animals is to be rejected, and likewise that of camels and sheep; / Curds should not be eaten at night, nor fresh butter by day; // 11 // The lapwing, the sparrow, the swan, the cakra bird, the plava, and the heron, / All carnivorous birds, the sārasa crane, the cock, and the parrot should be avoided; // 12 // Web-footed birds, wagtails, diving fish-eaters: / An eater of fish is an eater of all meat; therefore one must completely avoid fish. // 13 // But pāṭhīna and rohita fish are edible when appointed for rites to gods and ancestors; / And by meat-eaters, these may be eaten: hares, porcupines, and tortoises; // 14

The hedgehog and monitor lizard are also praised, and [certain] known deer and birds; / By those desiring long life and heaven, meat is to be abandoned with great effort. // 15 // That killing of animals which is for the purpose of sacrifice leads to heaven, never any other; / One should avoid all stale food, except that which is saturated with unbroken fat. // 16 // At the risk of life, in a sacrifice, in a śrāddha, for medicine, or at the request of a vipra, / Eating meat in this manner without greed, one does not incur fault. // 17 // There is not such sin for one seeking a livelihood through hunting, / As that which occurs in the hereafter for one who indulges in meat out of greed. // 18 // Beasts, trees, deer, and medicinal plants were created by Brahmā for the sake of sacrifice; / A vipra who slaughters [them] is not a slayer, and their destiny too is auspicious. // 19 // For the sake of the ancestors, gods, and sacrifices, and also for the madhuparka offering: / In those cases, even killing is non-injury; elsewhere, the injury is exceedingly hard to cross over. // 20 // The fool weak in knowledge who harms living creatures for his own nourishment, / That person of wicked conduct has no happiness here nor anywhere in the next world. // 21 // The eater, the consenter, the cook, the buyer, the seller, the slaughterer, / The deliverer, and the cause of death—these eight are remembered as killers. // 22 // He who sacrifices every year with a horse-sacrifice for a hundred years, / And he who does not eat meat: of these two, the latter is superior. // 23 // Just as oneself, so another should be regarded by one desiring happiness; / Pleasures and pains are equal: as in oneself, so in another. // 24 // Whether happiness or whatever else is done to another, / All that which was done will indeed afterwards happen to oneself. // 25 // There is no wealth without trouble; for one devoid of wealth, whence rituals? / For one devoid of rituals, whence dharma? For one devoid of dharma, whence happiness? // 26 // Happiness is indeed desired by all, and that arises from dharma; / Therefore dharma must be performed here with effort by all four classes. // 27 // Transmundane rites should be performed with wealth acquired through righteous means; / And a gift should be given according to rule, at the proper time, to a worthy recipient, with sincerity. // 28

He who makes a gift contrary to the rules or to an unworthy recipient / does not merely lose that gift; the rest of his wealth also perishes.
What is given for times of distress, for one's family, or to clear a debt, / becomes inexhaustible both here and in the hereafter; of this there is no doubt.
He who has an orphan consecrated with the investiture of the sacred girdle, marriage, and other rites / through his own wealth, obtains unending welfare.
Such welfare is not attained through Agnihotra offerings, nor through sacrifices such as the Agniṣṭoma, / as the welfare attained by mortals when a single twice-born is settled.
That virtuous man who causes the hand of an orphan brahmin to be taken in marriage / attains happiness in this world and obtains inexhaustible heaven.
The maiden who sees her menstrual flow unmarried in her father's house— / her father is to be known as an embryo-killer, and that girl is considered a vṛṣalī.
He who out of delusion marries her becomes the husband of a vṛṣalī; / conversation with him, who is unfit to sit in the row [at a feast], must always be avoided.
Having ascertained the fault of both the maiden and the groom, / one should then arrange the alliance; otherwise the father incurs the fault.
Women are ever pure; they are not defiled by anything. / Month after month their menstrual flow removes their misdeeds.
Formerly women were enjoyed by the gods: by Soma, the Gandharvas, and Agni; / human men enjoy them later; therefore they are not defiled by anything.
Soma gave purity to women; the Purifier [Agni] gave universal sanctification; / the Gandharvas gave sweet speech; hence women are always pure.
Agni enjoys a maiden at the time of menstruation, the Moon at the appearance of body hair, / and the Gandharvas at the swelling of her breasts; therefore she should be given away prior to that.
One whose body hair is visible destroys her offspring; she whose youth has blossomed destroys her family; / she whose menstrual blood has appeared destroys her father; therefore one should avoid them.
Therefore, desiring the fruit of giving away a maiden, one should bestow her before pubic hair appears; / otherwise there is no fruit for the giver, and the recipient falls down [into hell].
Giving a maiden unenjoyed by Soma and the others, one obtains the fruit of the gift;

giving one enjoyed by the gods, the giver does not go to heaven.
Beds, seats, vehicles, a corpse, a woman's mouth, kuśa grass, / and all sacrificial vessels—wise men hold that these are never defiled.
A calf is pure when the milk begins to flow, a bird when causing a fruit to fall, / women during sexual union, and a dog when catching deer.

The mouth of a goat and of a horse is pure; cows are pure from behind;

brahmins are pure from their feet; but women are pure all over.

Whether enjoyed by force or fallen into the hands of thieves,

a beloved woman should not be abandoned; no abandonment of her is prescribed.

The purification of copper is by acid; the purification of bell-metal is by ash;

a woman's purification is by her menses; a river is purified by its current.

She who does not, even in thought, dwell upon another man in this world,

enjoys pleasures with Soma and also attains renown here.

The father, grandfather, brother, kinsman, and likewise the mother—

each succeeding one, if sound in mind, is the giver of a maiden upon the loss of the previous one.

By failing to bestow her, he incurs the guilt of embryo-killing at every season [of fertility].

However, in the absence of givers, the maiden may choose her own husband.

Deprived of her rights, unkempt, subsisting on a mere ball of food,

humiliated, and sleeping on the ground—thus one should make an adulterous woman live.

Purification from adultery comes with the menses; abandonment is prescribed if there is conception,

or in the case of abortion, the murder of her husband, and other great sins.

For a śūdra, the wife can only be of the śūdra class; she and one of his own class are prescribed for a vaiśya;

those two and one of his own class are for a kṣatriya; and those three and one of his own class are for a brahmin.

Taking a śūdra woman to his bed, a brahmin goes to a low destination;

begetting a son upon a śūdra woman, he falls from brahminhood itself.

He whose rites to the gods, the ancestors, and guests are presided over by her—

the gods and others do not consume that [offering], and he does not go to heaven.

Those houses which female relatives curse when unhonoured,

perish completely, as if destroyed by witchcraft; of this there is no doubt.

Therefore, married women should be honoured with ornaments, clothing, and food

by men desiring prosperity, constantly during ceremonies of welcome and festivals.

Where women are joyful with ornaments, clothing, and food,

the deities rejoice there, and there religious rites bear fruit.

Where the wife is pleased with her husband, and the husband is pleased with his wife,

in that household welfare arises at every step.

The ahuta, the huta, the prahuta, the prāśita,

and fifth, the brāhma huta: these are the five auspicious sacrifices.

Silent recitation is ahuta; the fire offering is huta; the food-tribute to spirits is prahuta;

the satiation of the ancestors is prāśita; and worship of twice-born men is the brāhma huta.

Performing these five sacrifices, a brahmin does not sink down.

By not performing them, he incurs [the sin of] the five slaughter-places.

One should ask a brahmin about his welfare, one born from the arms [a kṣatriya] about his health,

a vaiśya about his comfort upon meeting him, and a śūdra about his contentment.

A child is considered merely newborn up until eight years of age;

he incurs no fault regarding what may or may not be eaten until he is invested with the sacred thread.

The maintenance of one's dependents brings both visible and invisible fruit.

For in not maintaining them there is transgression; therefore they must be maintained with effort.

Mother, father, teacher, wives, offspring, dependents,

a newly arrived guest, an expected guest, and the fire: these nine are the group of dependents.

That man truly lives here by whom many are supported;

the man who only fills his own belly should be known as living-dead.

Gifts should be given to the poor, the helpless, and the distinguished, out of a desire for prosperity.

Those who have given no gifts are reborn dependent on the fortune of others.

Endowed with a disposition to share, compassionate, and patient,

devoted to the gods and guests: such a householder is remembered as righteous.

Sleeping during the two middle watches of the night, and eating the offering that remains after the sacrifice,

a brahmin does not sink down.

These nine are duties of a householder whenever a guest arrives;

they are expenditures of nectar: gentle speech, pleasant glance, mind, and face,

rising to greet him, welcoming him with 'come here', and affectionate prior greeting.

Waiting upon [him] and accompanying [him] out, for the sake of the householder’s prosperity.

Likewise, these nine, involving slight expense, are certainly to be performed:

A seat, washing of the feet, food according to one’s capacity, the ground,

A bed, grass [mat], water, oil for unction, and a lamp, which bestow success upon the householder’s life.

Likewise, nine wrongful deeds are to be abandoned by householders:

Slander, another’s wife, malice, anger, untruth, unpleasant speech,

Hatred, hypocrisy, and deceit—for these are the bolts on the path to heaven.

Nine obligatory duties are to be performed every day:

Bathing, the twilight devotion, recitation of mantras, the fire oblation, recitation of scripture, worship of the deity,

The Vaiśvadeva rite, likewise hospitality, and the ninth is the libation to the ancestors.

Listen, O sage, to those nine which are to be kept secret in this world:

The birth star, sexual intercourse, one’s mantra, family defects, deception,

Age, wealth, humiliation, and a woman are by no means to be disclosed.

These nine are to be made public: a secret sin that is not detestable,

Things fit for use, the clearance of debt, that which pertains to lineage, buying and selling,

The giving away of a maiden, and the eminence of virtues—nothing else, by anyone, anywhere.

Given to a worthy recipient, a friend, the humble, the poor, the helpless, benefactors,

Mother, father, and spiritual teachers—this ninefold gift is imperishable.

Fruitless is that which is bestowed on [these] nine: a rogue, a bard, a thief,

A quack doctor, a gambler, a cheat, a rogue, a wrestler, and a panegyrist.

Even in distress, nine things are under no circumstances to be given away:

One’s entire property when there are descendants, one’s wife, those who have come for refuge,

A trust, a pledge, family livelihood, a deposit, a woman’s property, and a son.

The foolish-minded person who gives [these] is purified [only] through expiations.

Having known this set of nine times nine, one obtains what is dear.

I shall declare another set of nine, which bestows the path to heaven on all:

Truthfulness, purity, non-injury, patience, generosity, compassion, self-restraint,

Non-stealing, and restraint of the senses are the means of righteousness for everyone.

Having practiced these ninety [rules], which illuminate the path to heaven,

Approved by the virtuous and holy, a householder does not sink into ruin.

Tongue, wife, son, brother, friend, servant, and dependents—

One whose [relations] such as these are full of humility receives respect everywhere.

Drinking, association with wicked people, separation from the husband, wandering about,

Sleeping [at odd hours], and dwelling in another’s house are the six blemishes of women.

He who, having bought grain cheaply, gives it at a high price,

Is indeed known as an usurer; one must never eat his food.

Having seen a paramour of a disloyal wife in front, a husband of an unfaithful woman in the middle,

And an usurer at the end, the ancestors depart despairing.

A woman who is unfaithful is called a mahiṣī;

And he who desires that wicked woman is traditionally known as a māhiṣika.

She who, having abandoned her own bull, acts like a cow in heat toward another bull,

Should be recognized as a vṛṣalī; an unchaste woman does not simply mean a Śūdra woman.

As long as the food is warm, as long as it is eaten in silence,

And as long as the qualities of the oblation are not spoken aloud, so long do the ancestors eat.

When a Vedic scholar endowed with learning and modesty arrives at the house,

All the medicinal plants rejoice: “We shall go to the highest state!”

When [given to] a brahmin fallen from purification, vows, and conduct, and devoid of the Veda,

The food being offered weeps: “What evil deed have I done?”

He in whose belly the food is digested by the study of the Veda

Carries across the giver, along with ten [ancestors] before and ten after.

Shaving is not to be done for women, nor should they follow cows [to graze],

Nor should they dwell at night in a cowpen, nor should they recite the Vedic text.

Having lifted all the hair together, one should cut off two finger-breadths:

In this very manner is the tonsure of the head for women.

For a king, a prince, or a learned brahmin,

One should prescribe the expiation without causing tonsure to be done.

For the sake of preserving the hair, one should prescribe a double vow;

A double fee should be given to a brahmin who has mastered the Veda.

He who, without having received the marriage fire, considers himself a householder—

His food must not be eaten, for that is regarded as food cooked in vain.

He who takes a wife, establishes the sacred fire, or undertakes an initiation while an elder brother is [unmarried],

should be known as a parivettṛ, and the elder brother as a parivitti.

The parivitti, the parivettṛ, and she through whom he becomes a parivettṛ,

all go to hell, with the giver [of the bride] and the officiating priest making five.

When [the elder brother] is impotent, living abroad, mute, an ascetic, dull-witted,

hunchbacked, a dwarf, or an outcast, there is no fault in marrying beforehand.

For as many syllables of the Veda as he employs for the sake of wealth,

indeed that many murders of an embryo does a seller of the Veda incur.

He who, having become an ascetic, indulges in sexual intercourse again,

is born as a worm in excrement for sixty thousand years.

A Śūdra's food, contact with a Śūdra, sitting together with a Śūdra,

and any acquisition of knowledge from a Śūdra would bring down even a radiant [sage].

The foolish twice-born who cook after fetching sacrificial offerings from a Śūdra,

destitute of brahminical splendor, go to a terrible hell.

Honey, inspissated juice, vegetables, milk, salt, and clarified butter—

eating these given directly by hand results in fasting for a whole day.

Oils, salt, and side dishes that are served by hand

do not bring merit to the giver, while the eater consumes defilement.

The food that is served in an iron vessel,

the eater consumes as equivalent to feces, and the giver goes to hell.

Using a finger as a tooth-stick, eating visible [pure] salt,

and eating earth are equal to eating beef.

Water, milk-rice, alms-food, clarified butter, and salt—

one should not receive [these] directly from the hand; [doing so] is equivalent to eating beef.

A fool may dwell right in front, and a virtuous man far away;

gifts should be given to the virtuous man; there is no slight toward the fool.

There is no slighting of a brahmin in the case of a vipra devoid of the Veda;

surely an offering is not poured into ashes, abandoning a blazing fire.

He who bypasses a learned brahmin who is close at hand,

both in feeding and in gifts, burns his family up to the seventh generation.

Cattle-herders, merchants, and likewise artisans and actors,

servants, and usurers—one should treat these vipras like Śūdras.

By dividing the property of the gods, by stealing the property of brahmins,

and by slighting a brahmin, families are quickly destroyed.

He who says "Do not give!" with regard to cows, fire, and brahmins,

enters a hundred animal wombs and is then born among the Cāṇḍālas.

What is promised by word of mouth but not carried out by deed

becomes a debt joined with religious demerit in this world and in the next.

One should always eat the vighasa, and always feed on nectar;

the remnants of a sacrifice are nectar, and the remnants of food [eaten by guests] are known as vighasa.

When the garment has slipped from the left shoulder and rests at the region of the navel,

he is [considered] clad in a single garment; one should avoid him in rites for the gods and ancestors.

The very water with which the best of the twice-born satisfies the ancestors after bathing,

by that alone he obtains all the fruit of the rite of sacrifice to the ancestors.

He who, having washed his hands, drinks a mouthful of water after a meal,

ruins all three: [the rites for] the gods, [those for] the ancestors, and himself.

The food of a corporation, the food of a courtesan, the food belonging to a village priest,

and [food] at the first pregnancies of women—having eaten [these], one should perform the cāndrāyaṇa penance.

In whose house a twice-born does not eat for a fortnight or a month,

having eaten [the food] of that wicked person, one should perform the cāndrāyaṇa vow.

For performers of sattra sacrifices, the initiated, ascetics, and celibate students,

there is no ritual impurity; nor for priests engaged in their sacred duties.

In indigestion, at sunrise, in flatulence, during shaving, after sexual intercourse,

upon a bad dream, and on touching a wicked person, a ritual ablution alone is prescribed.

Having touched a sacred tree, a funeral pyre, a sacrificial post, one who eats Śiva's offerings,

or a seller of the Veda, one should enter water with clothes on.

In a fire-sanctuary, in a cowpen, in the presence of a god or a brahmin,

during recitation of the Veda, during eating and drinking, one should cast off one's sandals.

Grain lying on a threshing floor, water that is in wells and step-wells,

and milk found in a cowpen may be accepted, even from one from whom things should not be accepted.

What is eaten with a covered head, by one who eats facing south,

or what is eaten wearing sandals—indeed, the demons devour that.

Sorcerers, piśācas, and cruel-acting rākṣasas

take away the essence of food that is devoid of an enclosure-diagram.

All the gods beginning with Brahmā, and the great seers beginning with Vasiṣṭha,

subsist upon the enclosure-diagram; therefore, one should make an enclosure-diagram.

For a brahmin it should be a square; for one born of the arms [a kṣatriya], a triangle;

for a vaiśya a circle is prescribed; for a śūdra, sprinkling with water is remembered.

One should not eat having placed the food on the lap, nor in the hand, nor on a rag,

nor on a seat, nor on a bed; nor should one afflicted by impurity eat.

Brahmins mounted upon the chariot of dharmaśāstra, wielding the sword of the Vedas,

whatever they say even in jest—that is considered supreme dharma.

At night, one who desires merit should not eat roasted grain mixed with curd;

for one eating it, there will be loss of merit, and he is afflicted with diseases.

Inspissated sugarcane juice, milk products, water, salt, honey, and sour gruel—

having given [these] with [bare] hand, a brahmin must perform a kṛcchra and a cāndrāyaṇa penance.

He who, knowing dharma, gives perfumes, ornaments, and garlands,

is born fragrant and ever delighted, wherever he is born.

A garment dyed with indigo one should completely avoid from afar;

in union for pleasure with women, it is not defiled by the bed.

From maintaining it, from selling it, and from living by that trade,