WRITTEN BY LONDON SWAMINATHAN
Post No.7485
Date uploaded in London – 23 January 2020
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LET US CONTINUE FROM SLOKA 75 IN THE TENTH CHAPTER AND FINISH THE CHAPTER TODAY.
Four interesting anecdotes about Agigarta/Sunashepa, Vamadeva gautama, Bhardwwaja, and Viswamitra are referred to in this chapter.(The stories are in Aitareya Brahmna, Rig Veda, Sankhyayan Srauta Sutra, Mahabharata)
In Tamil there is a proverb that “Ten will fly away when hunger comes”. The meaning is that one loses ten virtues when one suffers from hunger. Those ten virtues or qualities are – honour, family’s good name, learning/education,generosity, intelligence, giving gifts, penance, taking new ventures, sexual feelings and perseverance. tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
First Manu define the six jobs assigned to Brahmins. And then the work allocated to kings, business community and the farming community
In the time of famine, drought or distress etc the rules are relaxed. When a man is left to starve to death he can even kill animals and eat meat.
Since farming, ploughing may kill animals brahmins must avoid this at any cost is the dictum of Manu
First, let me give the interesting things in bullet points:–
10-75 SIX ACTIVITIES/jobs FOR BRAHMINS
10-84 FARMING HARMS ANIMALS; BRAHMINS MUST NOT DO IT (ahimsa is emphasized)
10-81 TO 85- DURING DIFFICULT DAYS, WHAT BRAHMINS CAN DO
10-85 TO 93- BRAHMINS SHOULD NOT SELL THESE PRODUCTS
10-94 BARTER TRADE CAN BE DONE tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
10-96 BANISH GREEDY PEOPLE; CONFISCATE THEIR PROPERTY
10-97 BAHAGAVAD GITA ECHO- 3-35
श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुण: परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् |
स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेय: परधर्मो भयावह: || 35||
śhreyān swa-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣhṭhitāt
swa-dharme nidhanaṁ śhreyaḥ para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ
Better is one’s own duty though imperfectly carried out than the the duty of another carried out perfectly. Better is death in the fulfilment of one’s own duty for to follow another’s duty is perilous.
10-103, 104 BRAHMINS ARE AS PURE AS FIRE; SKY CANNOT BECOME DIRTY EVEN IF YOU THROW MUD ON IT (TWO SIMILES)
BRAHMINS AND MEAT
10-105 AJIGARTA- SUNASHEPA STORY tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
10-106 VAMADEVA ATE DOG’S MEAT DURING FAMINE
10-107 BHARADWAJA ACCEPTED COWS FROM VRDU, A CARPENTER
10-108 VISVAMITRA ATE DOG GIVEN BY AN OUT CASTE (CANDALA)
10-115 SEVEN WAYS OF GETTING PROPERTY FOR THREE CASTES
10-116 TEN WAYS OF MAKING MONEY FOR THREE CASTES
10-117 NO LENDING, NO INTEREST
10-120 TAX RATES
10-124 SHUDRAS SHOULD BE FULLY SUPPORTED
10-128 SHUDRAS CAN DO ALL WOKS EXCEPT RECITING VEDIC MANTRAS
10-129 THEY SHOULD NOT AMASS WEALTH (Earlier Manu stipulates that Brahmins should never amass wealth as well) tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
xxxx
Full translation
10-74. Brahmanas who are intent on the means (of gaining union with) Brahman and firm in (discharging) their duties, shall live by duly performing the following six acts, (which are enumerated) in their (proper) order.
75. Teaching, studying, sacrificing for himself, sacrificing for others, making gifts and receiving them are the six acts (prescribed) for a Brahmana.
76. But among the six acts (ordained) for him three are his means of subsistence, (viz.) sacrificing for others, teaching, and accepting gifts from pure men.
77. (Passing) from the Brahmana to the Kshatriya, three acts (incumbent on the former) are forbidden, (viz.) teaching, sacrificing for others, and, thirdly, the acceptance of gifts.
78. The same are likewise forbidden to a Vaisya, that is a settled rule; for Manu, the lord of creatures (Pragapati), has not prescribed them for (men of) those two (castes).
79. To carry arms for striking and for throwing (is prescribed) for Kshatriyas as a means of subsistence; to trade, (to rear) cattle, and agriculture for Vaisyas; but their duties are liberality, the study of the Veda, and the performance of sacrifices.
80. Among the several occupations the most commendable are, teaching the Veda for a Brahmana, protecting (the people) for a Kshatriya, and trade for a Vaisya.
EXEMPTIONS DURING DIFFICULT DAYS
81. But a Brahmana, unable to subsist by his peculiar occupations just mentioned, may live according to the law applicable to Kshatriyas; for the latter is next to him in rank.
82. If it be asked, ‘How shall it be, if he cannot maintain himself by either (of these occupations?’ the answer is), he may adopt a Vaisya’s mode of life, employing himself in agriculture and rearing cattle.
83. But a Brahmana, or a Kshatriya, living by a Vaisya’s mode of subsistence, shall carefully avoid (the pursuit of) agriculture, (which causes) injury to many beings and depends on others.
FARMING HARMS
84. (Some) declare that agriculture is something excellent, (but) that means of subsistence is blamed by the virtuous; (for) the wooden (implement) with iron point injuries the earth and (the beings) living in the earth.
85. But he who, through a want of means of subsistence, gives up the strictness with respect to his duties, may sell, in order to increase his wealth, the commodities sold by Vaisyas, making (however) the (following) exceptions.
86. He must avoid (selling) condiments of all sorts, cooked food and sesamum, stones, salt, cattle, and human (beings),
87. All dyed cloth, as well as cloth made of hemp, or flax, or wool, even though they be not dyed, fruit, roots, and (medical) herbs
88. Water, weapons, poison, meat, Soma, and perfumes of all kinds, fresh milk, honey, sour milk, clarified butter, oil, wax, sugar, Kusa-grass;
89. All beasts of the forest, animals with fangs or tusks, birds, spirituous liquor, indigo, lac, and all one-hoofed beasts.
90. But he who subsists by agriculture, may at pleasure sell unmixed sesamum grains for sacred purposes, provided he himself has grown them and has not kept them long.
91. If he applies sesamum to any other purpose but food, anointing, and charitable gifts, he will be born (again) as a worm and, together with his ancestors, be plunged into the ordure of dogs.
92. By (selling) flesh, salt, and lac a Brahmana at once becomes an outcast; by selling milk he becomes (equal to) a Sudra in three days.
93. But by willingly selling in this world other (forbidden) commodities, a Brahmana assumes after seven nights the character of a Vaisya.
94. Condiments may be bartered for condiments, but by no means salt for (other) condiments; cooked food (may be exchanged) for (other kinds of) cooked food, and sesamum seeds for grain in equal quantities.
95. A Kshatriya who has fallen into distress, may subsist by all these (means); but he must never arrogantly adopt the mode of life (prescribed for his) betters.
96. A man of low caste who through covetousness lives by the occupations of a higher one, the king shall deprive of his property and banish.
BHAGAVAD GITA ECHO 3-35
97. It is better (to discharge) one’s own (appointed) duty incompletely than to perform completely that of another; for he who lives according to the law of another (caste) is instantly excluded from his own.
98. A Vaisya who is unable to subsist by his own duties, may even maintain himself by a Sudra’s mode of life, avoiding (however) acts forbidden (to him), and he should give it up, when he is able (to do so).
99. But a Sudra, being unable to find service with the twice-born and threatened with the loss of his sons and wife (through hunger), may maintain himself by handicrafts.
100. (Let him follow) those mechanical occupations and those various practical arts by following which the twice-born are (best) served.
101. A Brahmana who is distressed through a want of means of subsistence and pines (with hunger), (but) unwilling to adopt a Vaisya’s mode of life and resolved to follow his own (prescribed) path, may act in the following manner.
102. A Brahmana who has fallen into distress may accept (gifts) from anybody; for according to the law it is not possible (to assert) that anything pure can be sullied.
103. By teaching, by sacrificing for, and by accepting gifts from despicable (men) Brahmanas (in distress) commit not sin; for they (are as pure) as fire and water.
104. He who, when in danger of losing his life, accepts food from any person whatsoever, is no more tainted by sin than the sky by mud. tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
FOUR ANECDOTES FRO GREAT SEERS’ LIFE
105. Agigarta, who suffered hunger, approached in order to slay (his own) son, and was not tainted by sin, since he (only) sought a remedy against famishing.
106. Vamadeva, who well knew right and wrong, did not sully himself when, tormented (by hunger), he desired to eat the flesh of a dog in order to save his life.
107. Bharadvaga, a performer of great austerities, accepted many cows from the carpenter Bribu, when he was starving together with his sons in a lonely forest.
108. Visvamitra, who well knew what is right or wrong, approached, when he was tormented by hunger, (to eat) the haunch of a dog, receiving it the hands of a Candala.
109. On (comparing) the acceptance (of gifts from low men), sacrificing (for them), and teaching (them), the acceptance of gifts is the meanest (of those acts) and (most) reprehensible for a Brahmana (on account of its results) in the next life.
110. (For) assisting in sacrifices and teaching are (two acts) always performed for men who have received the sacraments; but the acceptance of gifts takes place even in (case the giver is) a Sudra of the lowest class.
111. The guilt incurred by offering sacrifices for teaching (unworthy men) is removed by muttering (sacred texts) and by burnt offerings, but that incurred by accepting gifts (from them) by throwing (the gifts) away and by austerities.
112. A Brahmana who is unable to maintain himself, should (rather) glean ears or grains from (the field of) any (man); gleaning ears is better than accepting gifts, picking up single grains is declared to be still more laudable.
113. If Brahmanas, who are Snatakas, are pining with hunger, or in want of (utensils made of) common metals, or of other property, they may ask the king for them; if he is not disposed to be liberal, he must be left.
114. (The acceptance on an untilled field is less blamable than (that of) a tilled one; (with respect to) cows, goats, sheep, gold, grain, and cooked food, (the acceptance of) each earlier-named (article is less blamable than of the following ones). tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
7 WAYS AND 10 WAYS OF SURVIVAL FOR 3 CASTES
115. There are seven lawful modes of acquiring property, (viz.) inheritance, finding or friendly donation, purchase, conquest, lending at interest, the performance of work, and the acceptance of gifts from virtuous men.
116. Learning, mechanical arts, work for wages, service, rearing cattle, traffic, agriculture, contentment (with little), alms, and receiving interest on money, are the ten modes of subsistence (permitted to all men in times of distress).
NO LENDING BUSINESS
117. Neither a Brahmana, nor a Kshatriya must lend (money at) interest; but at his pleasure (either of them) may, in times of distress when he requires money) for sacred purposes, lend to a very sinful man at a small interest.
118. A Kshatriya (king) who, in times of distress, takes even the fourth part (of the crops), is free from guilt, if he protects his subjects to the best of his ability.
119. His peculiar duty is conquest, and he must not turn back in danger; having protected the Vaisyas by his weapons, he may cause the legal tax to be collected;
TAX ON GOODS
120. (Viz.) from Vaisyas one-eighth as the tax on grain, one-twentieth (on the profits on gold and cattle), which amount at least to one Karshapana; Sudras, artisans, and mechanics (shall) benefit (the king) by (doing) work (for him).
121. If a Sudra, (unable to subsist by serving Brahmanas,) seeks a livelihood, he may serve Kshatriyas, or he may also seek to maintain himself by attending on a wealthy Vaisya.
122. But let a (Sudra) serve Brahmanas, either for the sake of heaven, or with a view to both (this life and the next); for he who is called the servant of a Brahmana thereby gains all his ends.
123. The service of Brahmanas alone is declared (to be) an excellent occupation for a Sudra; for whatever else besides this he may perform will bear him no fruit. tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
BRAHMINS MUST SUPPORT SHUDRAS
124. They must allot to him out of their own family (-property) a suitable maintenance, after considering his ability, his industry, and the number of those whom he is bound to support.
125. The remnants of their food must be given to him, as well as their old clothes, the refuse of their grain, and their old household furniture.
126. A Sudra cannot commit an offence, causing loss of caste (pataka), and he is not worthy to receive the sacraments; he has no right to (fulfil) the sacred law there is no prohibition against (his fulfilling certain portions of) the law.
SUDRAS CAN DO EVERYTHING, BUT NO MANTRAS tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
127. (Sudras) who are desirous to gain merit, and know (their) duty, commit no sin, but gain praise, if they imitate the practice of virtuous men without reciting sacred texts.
128. The more a (Sudra), keeping himself free from envy, imitates the behaviour of the virtuous, the more he gains, without being censured, (exaltation in) this world and the next.
129. No collection of wealth must be made by a Sudra, even though he be able (to do it); for a Sudra who has acquired wealth, gives pain to Brahmanas.
130. The duties of the four castes (varna) in times of distress have thus been declared, and if they perform them well, they will reach the most blessed state.
131. Thus all the legal rules for the four castes have been proclaimed; I next will promulgate the auspicious rules for penances.
TENTH CHAPTER OF MANU SMRTI FINISHED.
—-SUBHAM—-
Tamil and Vedas 