Skandapurana 3.2.40.40
English (machine translation) 3.2.40.40
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3.2.40.40.1
Nārada said: / When the division of castes occurred in that town of Moheraka, / what was done by those conversant with the three Vedas, O Brahmā? Relate that to me who am asking. / Brahmā said: / All the brahmins in their own abode, their minds full of joy, / some devoted to the Agnihotra, some intent on Vedic sacrifices, / some tending the sacred fire, some continually engaged in Smārta rites, / knowers of the Purāṇas and Nyāya, expounders of the Vedas and Vedāṅgas, / performing their righteous conduct with happiness, speakers of the Veda— / while those skilled souls were thus observing righteous conduct, / the best of brahmins spoke of the traditional duty, / the local customs, the family customs, those spoken by the tutelary goddess, / all that is laid down in the Dharmaśāstras, and that which was proclaimed by the Kājeśas. / The brahmins said: / O brahmins, whoever reveres the document with the red footprints, / he should be known as the chief of the caste; thereafter tribute should be given. / Having prepared red sandalwood, and likewise their renowned family, / with their feet reddened with saffron, anointed with fragrant unguents, flowers, and the like, / uniting, that which is written is called "the Red Footprint". / Attentive, let them all revere the written deed of Rāma; / and let the twice-born always worship the handprint of Rāma. / If there are faults in anyone’s good conduct, such as infidelity and the like, / a punishment should be imposed upon them as properly stated by the twice-born. / Let there be no mark of Rāma’s seal as long as he does not pay the fine; / without paying the fine, the mark of the seal is not to be worn. / And the brahmins should be known as having the seal on their hand, O best of kings. / When a son is born, the father should always give an offering to Śrīmātṛ: / twenty palas of clarified butter and five palas of molasses. / Having worshipped the son with saffron and the like as soon as he is born, / on the sixth day, O king, he should always worship Ṣaṣṭhī. / He should make an offering there with clarified butter and perform a fivefold offering.
3.2.40.40.2
He should offer five prastha measures of offerings, accompanied by cloths and coconuts. / Having worshipped the Holy Mother with devotion using saffron and other offerings, / he should not practice deceit in matters of family wealth for the increase of offspring. / That wealth which was borrowed during prosperous times must surely be given back. / Immediately after birth, the natal rite must be performed according to the rule. / And whatever livelihood was specified for the brahmins, that too is divided: / indeed, whatever initial livelihood is obtained, / half of that livelihood should be allocated to the family goddess. / And from a merchant it shall be double when a son is born. / And for the Śūdras of Māṇḍala, this is twelve coins; / for those of Aḍālaja, three times as much; for the Gobhujas, four times as much. / All this has been stated, and similarly for the other Śūdra castes. / When the guilt of homicide arises in a person by the power of fate, / a punishment must be imposed upon him according to rule by those learned in the Veda and Śāstras. / One who speaks unrighteousness in place of righteousness, or casts blame on the blameless, / and one who creates division in the dining-row, is considered equal to the killer of a thousand cows. / The division of livelihood shares, as well as the determination of justice, / must be executed in front of Śrī Rāma’s messenger—this is the decision. / One should perform his worship at that time or always; / one should anoint his body with oil indeed for the pacification of obstacles. / One should offer incense, a lamp, fruit, and various kinds of flowers. / Hanumān, when worshipped, surely grants his desired wish. / For each son, one should perform [rites] before him and nowhere else. / The share for the Holy Mother and Bakulasvāmin should be given first; / afterwards, the acceptance of gifts by the brahmins is to be made—this is settled. / In the assemblies of the brahmins for deciding justice and injustice, / holding the verdict in one's heart, one stationed there should announce it to the twice-born. / Purely through the sense of righteousness, he must avoid bias. / That which is agreed upon by all, and indeed unaltered, is to be enacted.
3.2.40.40.3
If a brahmin summoned there feels fear in the assembly, / his word is not to be heard in setting aside a decided matter. / The person who is ostracized by all the brahmins assembled together / must be avoided by everyone in matters of food, drink, and the like. / No daughter should be given to him, and one who associates with him is deemed the same. / Then a fine should be imposed on him by all the excellent twice-born. / Dining together and the giving of a maiden are prohibited—such is the opinion of the son of Daśaratha. / Whatever sin one commits in order to obtain a place or property, / it dwells in dry and wet food; therefore, one should abandon his food. / One who consumes it becomes a sharer in that sin; his fine shall be according to rule. / He who, though having the power, does not uphold justice, / is to be known as a sharer in sin; this is truth, without a doubt. / He who takes a bribe from sinners who perform wicked deeds, / all their sin falls upon him; of this there is no doubt. / His food is never to be accepted, nor ever his daughter. / A man who seeks the welfare of his sons / should observe all these rules; of this there is no doubt. / Having written this deed, those brahmins rejoiced greatly. / Knowing how, when the terrible Kali age arrives, they might not commit sin, / they all established this righteous law.
Vyāsa said:
When the Kali age arrives, all the twice-born will fall from their places here and there; / they will take sides with partiality and become partisans. / They will feed upon the villages of the mlecchas, destroyed by the Kolas; / those brahmins will fall away from the Veda in the Kali age.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit