Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.3479

c9.3479

This poor brahmin who lived by begging got one day some food grain powder. After offering a portion of it to Agni and Brahmins, he divided the balance equally between the children. Then he sat down to take his own food when Dharmadeva, disguised as a brahmin, appeared and demanded food. Uñchavṛtti gave all his food to the guest. Since that did not satisfy the guest, the sons also gave their shares of the food to him. Greatly pleased at the noble act of Uñchavṛtti, Dharmadeva took the brahmin with him to Svargaloka. One day a few particles of the foodgrain powder which remained with the brahmin fell on the earth. A mongoose came and played on that ground. That part of its body which got smeared with the food-grain powder became golden in colour. Though the mongoose went to the yajña ground of Dharmadeva and repeated the above process there, the remaining portion of its body did not become golden.