History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.418

v5.c71.s1.418

The smṛtis were very keen on keeping a high ideal before brāhmanas as regards receiving gifts The Sāma Br. (I. 7. 1-2) prescribes that if a brāhmaṇa receives a gift from a kṣatriya when not in distress (or difficulty) he should eat only one meal by day for a month and recite the Sāma verse 'mahat tat somo mahiṣaścakāra' (Sāmaveda I 6. 1. 5. 10, No 542) for one month, while standing in water and if he accepts a gift from any one else from whom he should not accept it, he should undergo *kṛcchra* penance and recite the sāma verse 'trikadrukeṣu' (Sāmaveda I.5 2.3 1, No 457) Yāj I. 140 provides that a brāhmaṇa should not accept a gift from a king who is parsimonious (or greedy) and acts against the dictates of sāstra and Manu XI. 194 (=Visṇu Dh. S 54.24) provides that a brāhmaṇa becomes free from the sin of the acceptance of a thing which should not be accepted or of the acceptance of a gift from a condemned donor by reciting the Gāyatrī three thousand times (in a month) or subsisting on milk alone or staying in a cowpen for a month. It may be noted that Manu X. 102-103 and Yāj III. 41 allow a brāhmaṇa when in distress to accept a gift from anybody or to take food from anyone whatever or to maintain himself by teaching any one whatever and state that he is not tainted by sin in so doing, since he is like fire and water (like that of the Ganges) and since it is unreasonable (or impossible) to assert that what is pure can be sullied. Manu X. 109, however, regards acceptance of a gift from an unworthy (or low) person as worse than teaching an improper person or officiating for him A brāhmaṇa was not to sell things declared to be unfit to be sold by him such [^261 a] as sesame, oil of sesame, curds, bees' wax (kṣaudra), salt, grapes, wine, cooked food, female or