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                      The Laws of Manu - Chapter III
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1. The vow (of studying) the three Vedas under a teacher must be kept for
thirty-six years, or for half that time, or for a quarter, or until the
(student) has perfectly learnt them.

2. (A student) who has studied in due order the three Vedas, or two, or even
one only, without breaking the (rules of) studentship, shall enter the order
of householders.

3. He who is famous for (the strict performance of) his duties and has
received his heritage, the Veda, from his father, shall be honoured, sitting
on a couch and adorned with a garland, with (the present of) a cow (and the
honey-mixture).

4. Having bathed, with the permission of his teacher, and performed according
to the rule the Samāvartana (the rite on returning home), a twice-born man
shall marry a wife of equal caste who is endowed with auspicious (bodily)
marks.

5. A damsel who is neither a Sapiṇḍa on the mother's side, nor belongs to the
same family on the father's side, is recommended to twice-born men for
wedlock and conjugal union.

6. In connecting himself with a wife, let him carefully avoid the ten
following families, be they ever so great, or rich in kine, horses, sheep,
grain, or (other) property,

7. (Viz.) one which neglects the sacred rites, one in which no male children
(are born), one in which the Veda is not studied, one (the members of) which
have thick hair on the body, those which are subject to hemorrhoids, phthisis,
weakness of digestion, epilepsy, or white or black leprosy.

8. Let him not marry a maiden (with) reddish (hair), nor one who has a
redundant member, nor one who is sickly, nor one either with no hair (on the
body) or too much, nor one who is garrulous or has red (eyes),

9. Nor one named after a constellation, a tree, or a river, nor one bearing
the name of a low caste, or of a mountain, nor one named after a bird, a
snake, or a slave, nor one whose name inspires terror.

10. Let him wed a female free from bodily defects, who has an agreeable name,
the (graceful) gait of a Haṃsa or of an elephant, a moderate (quantity of)
hair on the body and on the head, small teeth, and soft limbs.

11. But a prudent man should not marry (a maiden) who has no brother, nor one
whose father is not known, through fear lest (in the former case she be made)
an appointed daughter (and in the latter) lest (he should commit) sin.

12. For the first marriage of twice-born men (wives) of equal caste are
recommended; but for those who through desire proceed (to marry again) the
following females, (chosen) according to the (direct) order (of the castes),
are most approved.

13. It is declared that a Śūdra woman alone (can be) the wife of a Śūdra, she
and one of his own caste (the wives) of a Vaiśya, those two and one of his own
caste (the wives) of a Kṣatriya, those three and one of his own caste (the
wives) of a Brāhmaṇa.

14. A Śūdra woman is not mentioned even in any (ancient) story as the (first)
wife of a Brāhmaṇa or of a Kṣatriya, though they lived in the (greatest)
distress.

15. Twice-born men who, in their folly, wed wives of the low (Śūdra) caste,
soon degrade their families and their children to the state of Śūdras.

16. According to Atri and to (Gautama) the son of Utathya, he who weds a
Śūdra woman becomes an outcast, according to Śaunaka on the birth of a son,
and according to Bhṛgu he who has (male) offspring from a (Śūdra female,
alone).

17. A Brāhmaṇa who takes a Śūdra wife to his bed, will (after death) sink
into hell; if he begets a child by her, he will lose the rank of a Brāhmaṇa.

18. The manes and the gods will not eat the (offerings) of that man who
performs the rites in honour of the gods, of the manes, and of guests chiefly
with a (Śūdra wife's) assistance, and such (a man) will not go to heaven.

19. For him who drinks the moisture of a Śūdra's lips, who is tainted by her
breath, and who begets a son on her, no expiation is prescribed.

20. Now listen to (the) brief (description of) the following eight
marriage-rites used by the four castes (varṇa) which partly secure benefits
and partly produce evil both in this life and after death.

21. (They are) the rite of Brahman (Brāhma), that of the gods (Daiva), that
of the Ṛṣis (Ārṣa), that of Prajāpati (Prājāpatya), that of the Asuras
(Āsura), that of the Gandharvas (Gāndharva), that of the Rākṣasas (Rākṣasa),
and that of the Piśācas (Paiśāca).

22. Which is lawful for each caste (varṇa) and which are the virtues or
faults of each (rite), all this I will declare to you, as well as their good
and evil results with respect to the offspring.

23. One may know that the first six according to the order (followed above)
are lawful for a Brāhmaṇa, the four last for a Kṣatriya, and the same four,
excepting the Rākṣasa rite, for a Vaiśya and a Śūdra.

24. The sages state that the first four are approved (in the case) of a
Brāhmaṇa, one, the Rākṣasa (rite in the case) of a Kṣatriya, and the Āsura
(marriage in that) of a Vaiśya and of a Śūdra.

25. But in these (Institutes of the sacred law) three of the five (last) are
declared to be lawful and two unlawful; the Paiśāca and the Āsura (rites)
must never be used.

26. For Kṣatriyas those before-mentioned two rites, the Gāndharva and the
Rākṣasa, whether separate or mixed, are permitted by the sacred tradition.

27. The gift of a daughter, after decking her (with costly garments) and
honouring (her by presents of jewels), to a man learned in the Veda and of
good conduct, whom (the father) himself invites, is called the Brāhma rite.

28. The gift of a daughter who has been decked with ornaments, to a priest
who duly officiates at a sacrifice, during the course of its performance,
they call the Daiva rite.

29. When (the father) gives away his daughter according to the rule, after
receiving from the bridegroom, for (the fulfilment of) the sacred law, a cow
and a bull or two pairs, that is named the Ārṣa rite.

30. The gift of a daughter (by her father) after he has addressed (the
couple) with the text, 'May both of you perform together your duties,' and
has shown honour (to the bridegroom), is called in the Smṛti the Prājāpatya
rite.

31. When (the bridegroom) receives a maiden, after having given as much
wealth as he can afford, to the kinsmen and to the bride herself, according
to his own will, that is called the Āsura rite.

32. The voluntary union of a maiden and her lover one must know (to be) the
Gāndharva rite, which springs from desire and has sexual intercourse for its
purpose.

33. The forcible abduction of a maiden from her home, while she cries out
and weeps, after (her kinsmen) have been slain or wounded and (their houses)
broken open, is called the Rākṣasa rite.

34. When (a man) by stealth seduces a girl who is sleeping, intoxicated, or
disordered in intellect, that is the eighth, the most base and sinful rite of
the Piśācas.

35. The gift of daughters among Brāhmaṇas is most approved, (if it is
preceded) by (a libation of) water; but in the case of other castes (it may
be performed) by (the expression of) mutual consent.

36. Listen now to me, ye Brāhmaṇas, while I fully declare what quality has
been ascribed by Manu to each of these marriage-rites.

37. The son of a wife wedded according to the Brāhma rite, if he performs
meritorious acts, liberates from sin ten ancestors, ten descendants and
himself as the twenty-first.

38. The son born of a wife, wedded according to the Daiva rite, likewise
(saves) seven ancestors and seven descendants, the son of a wife married by
the Ārṣa rite three (in the ascending and descending lines), and the son of a
wife married by the rite of Ka (Prajāpati) six (in either line).

39. From the four marriages, (enumerated) successively, which begin with the
Brāhma rite spring sons, radiant with knowledge of the Veda and honoured by
the Śiṣṭas (good men).

40. Endowed with the qualities of beauty and goodness, possessing wealth and
fame, obtaining as many enjoyments as they desire and being most righteous,
they will live a hundred years.

41. But from the remaining (four) blamable marriages spring sons who are
cruel and speakers of untruth, who hate the Veda and the sacred law.

42. In the blameless marriages blameless children are born to men, in
blamable (marriages) blamable (offspring); one should therefore avoid the
blamable (forms of marriage).

43. The ceremony of joining the hands is prescribed for (marriages with)
women of equal caste (varṇa); know that the following rule (applies) to
weddings with females of a different caste (varṇa).

44. On marrying a man of a higher caste a Kṣatriya bride must take hold of an
arrow, a Vaiśya bride of a goad, and a Śūdra female of the hem of the
(bridegroom's) garment.

45. Let (the husband) approach his wife in due season, being constantly
satisfied with her (alone); he may also, being intent on pleasing her,
approach her with a desire for conjugal union (on any day) excepting the
Parvans.

46. Sixteen (days and) nights (in each month), including four days which
differ from the rest and are censured by the virtuous, (are called) the
natural season of women.

47. But among these the first four, the eleventh and the thirteenth are
(declared to be) forbidden; the remaining nights are recommended.

48. On the even nights sons are conceived and daughters on the uneven ones;
hence a man who desires to have sons should approach his wife in due season
on the even (nights).

49. A male child is produced by a greater quantity of male seed, a female
child by the prevalence of the female; if (both are) equal, a hermaphrodite
or a boy and a girl; if (both are) weak or deficient in quantity, a failure
of conception (results).

50. He who avoids women on the six forbidden nights and on eight others, is
(equal in chastity to) a student, in whichever order he may live.

51. No father who knows (the law) must take even the smallest gratuity for
his daughter; for a man who, through avarice, takes a gratuity, is a seller
of his offspring.

52. But those (male) relations who, in their folly, live on the separate
property of women, (e.g. appropriate) the beasts of burden, carriages, and
clothes of women, commit sin and will sink into hell.

53. Some call the cow and the bull (given) at an Ārṣa wedding 'a gratuity;'
(but) that is wrong, since (the acceptance of) a fee, be it small or great,
is a sale (of the daughter).

54. When the relatives do not appropriate (for their use) the gratuity
(given), it is not a sale; (in that case) the (gift) is only a token of
respect and of kindness towards the maidens.

55. Women must be honoured and adorned by their fathers, brothers, husbands,
and brothers-in-law, who desire (their own) welfare.

56. Where women are honoured, there the gods are pleased; but where they are
not honoured, no sacred rite yields rewards.

57. Where the female relations live in grief, the family soon wholly perishes;
but that family where they are not unhappy ever prospers.

58. The houses on which female relations, not being duly honoured, pronounce a
curse, perish completely, as if destroyed by magic.

59. Hence men who seek (their own) welfare, should always honour women on
holidays and festivals with (gifts of) ornaments, clothes, and (dainty) food.

60. In that family, where the husband is pleased with his wife and the wife
with her husband, happiness will assuredly be lasting.

61. For if the wife is not radiant with beauty, she will not attract her
husband; but if she has no attractions for him, no children will be born.

62. If the wife is radiant with beauty, the whole house is bright; but if she
is destitute of beauty, all will appear dismal.

63. By low marriages, by omitting (the performance of) sacred rites, by
neglecting the study of the Veda, and by irreverence towards Brāhmaṇas,
(great) families sink low.

64. By (practising) handicrafts, by pecuniary transactions, by (begetting)
children on Śūdra females only, by (trading in) cows, horses, and carriages,
by (the pursuit of) agriculture and by taking service under a king,

65. By sacrificing for men unworthy to offer sacrifices and by denying (the
future rewards for good) works, families, deficient in the (knowledge of the)
Veda, quickly perish.

66. But families that are rich in the knowledge of the Veda, though possessing
little wealth, are numbered among the great, and acquire great fame.

67. With the sacred fire, kindled at the wedding, a householder shall perform
according to the law the domestic ceremonies and the five (great) sacrifices,
and (with that) he shall daily cook his food.

68. A householder has five slaughter-houses (as it were, viz.) the hearth,
the grinding-stone, the broom, the pestle and mortar, the water-vessel, by
using which he is bound (with the fetters of sin).

69. In order to successively expiate (the offences committed by means) of all
these (five) the great sages have prescribed for householders the daily
(performance of the five) great sacrifices.

70. Teaching (and studying) is the sacrifice (offered) to Brahman, the
(offerings of water and food called) Tarpaṇa the sacrifice to the manes, the
burnt oblation the sacrifice offered to the gods, the Bali offering that
offered to the Bhūtas, and the hospitable reception of guests the offering to
men.

71. He who neglects not these five great sacrifices, while he is able (to
perform them), is not tainted by the sins (committed) in the five places of
slaughter, though he constantly lives in the (order of) house (-holders).

72. But he who does not feed these five, the gods, his guests, those whom he
is bound to maintain, the manes, and himself, lives not, though he breathes.

73. They call (these) five sacrifices also, Ahuta, Huta, Prahuta,
Brāhmya-huta, and Prāśita.

74. Ahuta (not offered in the fire) is the muttering (of Vedic texts), Huta
the burnt oblation (offered to the gods), Prahuta (offered by scattering it
on the ground) the Bali offering given to the Bhūtas, Brāhmya-huta (offered
in the digestive fire of Brāhmaṇas), the respectful reception of Brāhmaṇa
(guests), and Prāśita (eaten) the (daily oblation to the manes, called)
Tarpaṇa.

75. Let (every man) in this (second order, at least) daily apply himself to
the private recitation of the Veda, and also to the performance of the
offering to the gods; for he who is diligent in the performance of
sacrifices, supports both the movable and the immovable creation.

76. An oblation duly thrown into the fire, reaches the sun; from the sun
comes rain, from rain food, therefrom the living creatures (derive their
subsistence).

77. As all living creatures subsist by receiving support from air, even so
(the members of) all orders subsist by receiving support from the
householder.

78. Because men of the three (other) orders are daily supported by the
householder with (gifts of) sacred knowledge and food, therefore (the order
of) householders is the most excellent order.

79. (The duties of) this order, which cannot be practised by men with weak
organs, must be carefully observed by him who desires imperishable (bliss in)
heaven, and constant happiness in this (life).

80. The sages, the manes, the gods, the Bhūtas, and guests ask the
householders (for offerings and gifts); hence he who knows (the law), must
give to them (what is due to each).

81. Let him worship, according to the rule, the sages by the private
recitation of the Veda, the gods by burnt oblations, the manes by funeral
offerings (Śrāddha), men by (gifts of) food, and the Bhūtas by the Bali
offering.

82. Let him daily perform a funeral sacrifice with food, or with water, or
also with milk, roots, and fruits, and (thus) please the manes.

83. Let him feed even one Brāhmaṇa in honour of the manes at (the Śrāddha),
which belongs to the five great sacrifices; but let him not feed on that
(occasion) any Brāhmaṇa on account of the Vaiśvadeva offering.

84. A Brāhmaṇa shall offer according to the rule (of his Gṛhya-sūtra a
portion) of the cooked food destined for the Vaiśvadeva in the sacred
domestic fire to the following deities:

85. First to Agni, and (next) to Soma, then to both these gods conjointly,
further to all the gods (Viśve Devāḥ), and (then) to Dhanvantari,

86. Further to Kuhū (the goddess of the new-moon day), to Anumati (the
goddess of the full-moon day), to Prajāpati (the lord of creatures), to
heaven and earth conjointly, and finally to Agni Sviṣṭakṛt (the fire which
performs the sacrifice well).

87. After having thus duly offered the sacrificial food, let him throw Bali
offerings in all directions of the compass, proceeding (from the east) to the
south, to Indra, Yama, Varuṇa, and Soma, as well as to the servants (of
these deities).

88. Saying, '(Adoration) to the Maruts,' he shall scatter (some food) near
the door, and (some) in water, saying, '(Adoration) to the waters;' he shall
throw (some) on the pestle and the mortar, speaking thus, '(Adoration) to the
trees.'

89. Near the head (of the bed) he shall make an offering to Śrī (fortune),
and near the foot (of his bed) to Bhadrakālī; in the centre of the house let
him place a Bali for Brahman and for Vāstoṣpati (the lord of the dwelling)
conjointly.

90. Let him throw up into the air a Bali for all the gods, and (in the
day-time one) for the goblins roaming about by day, (and in the evening one)
for the goblins that walk at night.

91. In the upper story let him offer a Bali to Sarvātmabhūti; but let him
throw what remains (from these offerings) in a southerly direction for the
manes.

92. Let him gently place on the ground (some food) for dogs, outcasts,
Caṇḍālas (Śvapāk), those afflicted with diseases that are punishments of
former sins, crows, and insects.

93. That Brāhmaṇa who thus daily honours all beings, goes, endowed with a
resplendent body, by a straight road to the highest dwelling-place (i.e.
Brahman).

94. Having performed this Bali offering, he shall first feed his guest and,
according to the rule, give alms to an ascetic (and) to a student.

95. A twice-born householder gains, by giving alms, the same reward for his
meritorious act which (a student) obtains for presenting, in accordance with
the rule, a cow to his teacher.

96. Let him give, in accordance with the rule, to a Brāhmaṇa who knows the
true meaning of the Veda, even (a small portion of food as) alms, or a pot
full of water, having garnished (the food with seasoning, or the pot with
flowers and fruit).

97. The oblations to gods and manes, made by men ignorant (of the law of
gifts), are lost, if the givers in their folly present (shares of them) to
Brāhmaṇas who are mere ashes.

98. An offering made in the mouth-fire of Brāhmaṇas rich in sacred learning
and austerities, saves from misfortune and from great guilt.

99. But let him offer, in accordance with the rule, to a guest who has come
(of his own accord) a seat and water, as well as food, garnished (with
seasoning), according to his ability.

100. A Brāhmaṇa who stays unhonoured (in the house), takes away (with him)
all the spiritual merit even of a man who subsists by gleaning ears of corn,
or offers oblations in five fires.

101. Grass, room (for resting), water, and fourthly a kind word; these
(things) never fail in the houses of good men.

102. But a Brāhmaṇa who stays one night only is declared to be a guest
(atithi); for because he stays (sthita) not long (anityam), he is called
atithi (a guest).

103. One must not consider as a guest a Brāhmaṇa who dwells in the same
village, nor one who seeks his livelihood by social intercourse, even though
he has come to a house where (there is) a wife, and where sacred fires (are
kept).

104. Those foolish householders who constantly seek (to live on) the food of
others, become, in consequence of that (baseness), after death the cattle of
those who give them food.

105. A guest who is sent by the (setting) sun in the evening, must not be
driven away by a householder; whether he have come at (supper-) time or at an
inopportune moment, he must not stay in the house without entertainment.

106. Let him not eat any (dainty) food which he does not offer to his guest;
the hospitable reception of guests procures wealth, fame, long life, and
heavenly bliss.

107. Let him offer (to his guests) seats, rooms, beds, attendance on
departure and honour (while they stay), to the most distinguished in the best
form, to the lower ones in a lower form, to equals in an equal manner.

108. But if another guest comes after the Vaiśvadeva offering has been
finished, (the householder) must give him food according to his ability,
(but) not repeat the Bali offering.

109. A Brāhmaṇa shall not name his family and (Vedic) gotra in order to
obtain a meal; for he who boasts of them for the sake of a meal, is called
by the wise a foul feeder (vāntāśin).

110. But a Kṣatriya (who comes) to the house of a Brāhmaṇa is not called a
guest (atithi), nor a Vaiśya, nor a Śūdra, nor a personal friend, nor a
relative, nor the teacher.

111. But if a Kṣatriya comes to the house of a Brāhmaṇa in the manner of a
guest, (the house-holder) may feed him according to his desire, after the
above-mentioned Brāhmaṇas have eaten.

112. Even a Vaiśya and a Śūdra who have approached his house in the manner of
guests, he may allow to eat with his servants, showing (thereby) his
compassionate disposition.

113. Even to others, personal friends and so forth, who have come to his
house out of affection, he may give food, garnished (with seasoning)
according to his ability, (at the same time) with his wife.

114. Without hesitation he may give food, even before his guests, to the
following persons, (viz.) to newly-married women, to infants, to the sick,
and to pregnant women.

115. But the foolish man who eats first without having given food to these
(persons) does, while he crams, not know that (after death) he himself will
be devoured by dogs and vultures.

116. After the Brāhmaṇas, the kinsmen, and the servants have dined, the
householder and his wife may afterwards eat what remains.

117. Having honoured the gods, the sages, men, the manes, and the guardian
deities of the house, the householder shall eat afterwards what remains.

118. He who prepares food for himself (alone), eats nothing but sin; for it
is ordained that the food which remains after (the performance of) the
sacrifices shall be the meal of virtuous men.

119. Let him honour with the honey-mixture a king, an officiating priest, a
Snātaka, the teacher, a son-in-law, a father-in-law, and a maternal uncle,
(if they come) again after a full year (has elapsed since their last visit).

120. A king and a Śrotriya, who come on the performance of a sacrifice, must
be honoured with the honey-mixture, but not if no sacrifice is being
performed; that is a settled rule.

121. But the wife shall offer in the evening (a portion) of the dressed food
as a Bali-oblation, without (the recitation of) sacred formulas; for that
(rite which is called the) Vaiśvadeva is prescribed both for the morning and
the evening.

122. After performing the Pitṛyajña, a Brāhmaṇa who keeps a sacred fire
shall offer, month by month, on the new-moon day, the funeral sacrifice
(Śrāddha, called) Piṇḍānvāhāryaka.

123. The wise call the monthly funeral offering to the manes Anvāhārya (to
be offered after the cakes), and that must be carefully performed with the
approved (sorts of) flesh (mentioned below).

124. I will fully declare what and how many (Brāhmaṇas) must be fed on that
(occasion), who must be avoided, and on what kinds of food (they shall dine).

125. One must feed two (Brāhmaṇas) at the offering to the gods, and three at
the offering to the manes, or one only on either occasion; even a very
wealthy man shall not be anxious (to entertain) a large company.

126. A large company destroys these five (advantages) the respectful
treatment (of the invited, the propriety of) place and time, purity and (the
selection of) virtuous Brāhmaṇa (guests); he therefore shall not seek (to
entertain) a large company.

127. Famed is this rite for the dead, called (the sacrifice sacred to the
manes (and performed) on the new-moon day; if a man is diligent in
(performing) that, (the reward of) the rite for the dead, which is performed
according to Smārta rules, reaches him constantly.

128. Oblations to the gods and manes must be presented by the givers to a
Śrotriya alone; what is given to such a most worthy Brāhmaṇa yields great
reward.

129. Let him feed even one learned man at (the sacrifice) to the gods, and
one at (the sacrifice) to the manes; (thus) he will gain a rich reward, not
(if he entertains) many who are unacquainted with the Veda.

130. Let him make inquiries even regarding the remote (ancestors of) a
Brāhmaṇa who has studied an entire (recension of the) Veda; (if descended
from a virtuous race) such a man is a worthy recipient of gifts (consisting)
of food offered to the gods or to the manes, he is declared (to procure as
great rewards as) a guest (atithi).

131. Though a million of men, unacquainted with the Ṛcas, were to dine at a
(funeral sacrifice), yet a single man, learned in the Veda, who is satisfied
(with his entertainment), is worth them all as far as the (production of)
spiritual merit (is concerned).

132. Food sacred to the manes or to the gods must be given to a man
distinguished by sacred knowledge; for hands, smeared with blood, cannot be
cleansed with blood.

133. As many mouthfuls as an ignorant man swallows at a sacrifice to the gods
or to the manes, so many red-hot spikes, spears, and iron balls must (the
giver of the repast) swallow after death.

134. Some Brāhmaṇas are devoted to (the pursuit of) knowledge, and others to
(the performance of) austerities; some to austerities and to the recitation
of the Veda, and others to (the performance of) sacred rites.

135. Oblations to the manes ought to be carefully presented to those devoted
to knowledge, but offerings to the gods, in accordance with the reason (of
the sacred law), to (men of) all the four (above-mentioned classes).

136. If there is a father ignorant of the sacred texts whose son has learned
one whole recension of the Veda and the Aṅgas, and a son ignorant of the
sacred texts whose father knows an entire recension of the Veda and the
Aṅgas,

137. Know that he whose father knows the Veda, is the more venerable one (of
the two); yet the other one is worthy of honour, because respect is due to
the Veda (which he has learned).

138. Let him not entertain a personal friend at a funeral sacrifice; he may
gain his affection by (other) valuable gifts; let him feed at a Śrāddha a
Brāhmaṇa whom he considers neither as a foe nor as a friend.

139. He who performs funeral sacrifices and offerings to the gods chiefly for
the sake of (gaining) friends, reaps after death no reward for Śrāddhas and
sacrifices.

140. That meanest among twice-born men who in his folly contracts
friendships through a funeral sacrifice, loses heaven, because he performed a
Śrāddha for the sake of friendship.

141. A gift (of food) by twice-born men, consumed with (friends and
relatives), is said to be offered to the Piśācas; it remains in this (world)
alone like a blind cow in one stable.

142. As a husbandman reaps no harvest when he has sown the seed in barren
soil, even so the giver of sacrificial food gains no reward if he presented
it to a man unacquainted with the Ṛcas.

143. But a present made in accordance with the rules to a learned man, makes
the giver and the recipient partakers of rewards both in this (life) and
after death.

144. (If no learned Brāhmaṇa be at hand), he may rather honour a (virtuous)
friend than an enemy, though the latter may be qualified (by learning and so
forth); for sacrificial food, eaten by a foe, bears no reward after death.

145. Let him (take) pains (to) feed at a Śrāddha an adherent of the
Ṛg-veda who has studied one entire (recension of that) Veda, or a follower
of the Yajur-veda who has finished one Śākhā, or a singer of Sāmans who
(likewise) has completed (the study of an entire recension).

146. If one of these three dines, duly honoured, at a funeral sacrifice, the
ancestors of him (who gives the feast), as far as the seventh person, will be
satisfied for a very long time.

147. This is the chief rule (to be followed) in offering sacrifices to the
gods and manes; know that the virtuous always observe the following
subsidiary rule.

148. One may also entertain (on such occasions) one's maternal grandfather,
a maternal uncle, a sister's son, a father-in-law, one's teacher, a
daughter's son, a daughter's husband, a cognate kinsman, one's own
officiating priest or a man for whom one offers sacrifices.

149. For a rite sacred to the gods, he who knows the law will not make (too
close) inquiries regarding an (invited) Brāhmaṇa; but when one performs a
ceremony in honour of the manes, one must carefully examine (the qualities
and parentage of the guest).

150. Manu has declared that those Brāhmaṇas who are thieves, outcasts,
eunuchs, or atheists are unworthy (to partake) of oblations to the gods and
manes.

151. Let him not entertain at a Śrāddha one who wears his hair in braids (a
student), one who has not studied (the Veda), one afflicted with a
skin-disease, a gambler, nor those who sacrifice for a multitude (of
sacrificers).

152. Physicians, temple-priests, sellers of meat, and those who subsist by
shop-keeping must be avoided at sacrifices offered to the gods and to the
manes.

153. A paid servant of a village or of a king, a man with deformed nails or
black teeth, one who opposes his teacher, one who has forsaken the sacred
fire, and a usurer;

154. One suffering from consumption, one who subsists by tending cattle, a
younger brother who marries or kindles the sacred fire before the elder, one
who neglects the five great sacrifices, an enemy of the Brāhmaṇa race, an
elder brother who marries or kindles the sacred fire after the younger, and
one who belongs to a company or corporation,

155. An actor or singer, one who has broken the vow of studentship, one whose
(only or first) wife is a Śūdra female, the son of a remarried woman, a
one-eyed man, and he in whose house a paramour of his wife (resides);

156. He who teaches for a stipulated fee and he who is taught on that
condition, he who instructs Śūdra pupils and he whose teacher is a Śūdra, he
who speaks rudely, the son of an adulteress, and the son of a widow,

157. He who forsakes his mother, his father, or a teacher without a
(sufficient) reason, he who has contracted an alliance with outcasts either
through the Veda or through a marriage,

158. An incendiary, a prisoner, he who eats the food given by the son of an
adulteress, a seller of Soma, he who undertakes voyages by sea, a bard, an
oil-man, a suborner to perjury,

159. He who wrangles or goes to law with his father, the keeper of a
gambling-house, a drunkard, he who is afflicted with a disease (in
punishment of former) crimes, he who is accused of a mortal sin, a hypocrite,
a seller of substances used for flavouring food,

160. A maker of bows and of arrows, he who lasciviously dallies with a
brother's widow, the betrayer of a friend, one who subsists by gambling, he
who learns (the Veda) from his son,

161. An epileptic man, who suffers from scrofulous swellings of the glands,
one afflicted with white leprosy, an informer, a madman, a blind man, and he
who cavils at the Veda must (all) be avoided.

162. A trainer of elephants, oxen, horses, or camels, he who subsists by
astrology, a bird-fancier, and he who teaches the use of arms,

163. He who diverts water-courses, and he who delights in obstructing them,
an architect, a messenger, and he who plants trees (for money),

164. A breeder of sporting-dogs, a falconer, one who defiles maidens, he who
delights in injuring living creatures, he who gains his subsistence from
Śūdras, and he who offers sacrifices to the Gaṇas,

165. He who does not follow the rule of conduct, a (man destitute of energy
like a) eunuch, one who constantly asks (for favours), he who lives by
agriculture, a club-footed man, and he who is censured by virtuous men,

166. A shepherd, a keeper of buffaloes, the husband of a remarried woman, and
a carrier of dead bodies, (all these) must be carefully avoided.

167. A Brāhmaṇa who knows (the sacred law) should shun at (sacrifices) both
(to the gods and to the manes) these lowest of twice-born men, whose conduct
is reprehensible, and who are unworthy (to sit) in the company (at a
repast).

168. As a fire of dry grass is (unable to consume the offerings and is
quickly) extinguished, even so (is it with) an unlearned Brāhmaṇa; sacrificial
food must not be given to him, since it (would be) offered in ashes.

169. I will fully declare what result the giver obtains after death, if he
gives food, destined for the gods or manes, to a man who is unworthy to sit
in the company.

170. The Rākṣasas, indeed, consume (the food) eaten by Brāhmaṇas who have not
fulfilled the vow of studentship, by a Parivettṛ and so forth, and by other
men not admissible into the company.

171. He must be considered as a Parivettṛ who marries or begins the
performance of the Agnihotra before his elder brother, but the latter as a
Parivitti.

172. The elder brother who marries after the younger, the younger brother who
marries before the elder, the female with whom such a marriage is contracted,
he who gives her away, and the sacrificing priest, as the fifth, all fall
into hell.

173. He who lasciviously dallies with the widow of a deceased brother, though
she be appointed (to bear a child by him) in accordance with the sacred law,
must be known to be a Didhiṣūpati.

174. Two (kinds of) sons, a Kuṇḍa and a Golaka, are born by wives of other
men; (he who is born) while the husband lives, will be a Kuṇḍa, and (he who
is begotten) after the husband's death, a Golaka.

175. But those two creatures, who are born of wives of other men, cause to
the giver the loss (of the rewards), both in this life and after death, for
the food sacred to gods or manes which has been given (to them).

176. The foolish giver (of a funeral repast) does not reap the reward for as
many worthy guests as a man, inadmissible into company, can look on while
they are feeding.

177. A blind man by his presence causes to the giver (of the feast) the loss
of the reward for ninety (guests), a one-eyed man for sixty, one who suffers
from white leprosy for a hundred, and one punished by a (terrible) disease
for a thousand.

178. The giver (of a Śrāddha) loses the reward, due for such a
non-sacrificial gift, for as many Brāhmaṇas as a (guest) who sacrifices for
Śūdras may touch (during the meal) with his limbs.

179. And if a Brāhmaṇa, though learned in the Veda, accepts through
covetousness a gift from such (a man), he will quickly perish, like a vessel
of unburnt clay in water.

180. (Food) given to a seller of Soma becomes ordure, (that given) to a
physician pus and blood, but (that presented) to a temple-priest is lost,
and (that given) to a usurer finds no place (in the world of the gods).

181. What has been given to a Brāhmaṇa who lives by trade that is not
(useful) in this world and the next, and (a present) to a Brāhmaṇa born of
a remarried woman (resembles) an oblation thrown into ashes.

182. But the wise declare that the food which (is offered) to other unholy,
inadmissible men, enumerated above, (is turned into) adipose secretions,
blood, flesh, marrow, and bone.

183. Now hear by what chief of twice-born men a company defiled by (the
presence of) unworthy (guests) is purified, and the full (description of)
the Brāhmaṇas who sanctify a company.

184. Those men must be considered as the sanctifiers of a company who are
most learned in all the Vedas and in all the Aṅgas, and who are the
descendants of Śrotriyas.

185. A Triṇāciketa, one who keeps five sacred fires, a Trisuparṇa, one who
is versed in the six Aṅgas, the son of a woman married according to the
Brāhma rite, one who sings the Jyeṣṭhasāman,

186. One who knows the meaning of the Veda, and he who expounds it, a
student, one who has given a thousand (cows), and a centenarian must be
considered as Brāhmaṇas who sanctify a company.

187. On the day before the Śrāddha-rite is performed, or on the day when it
takes place, let him invite with due respect at least three Brāhmaṇas, such
as have been mentioned above.

188. A Brāhmaṇa who has been invited to a (rite) in honour of the manes
shall always control himself and not recite the Veda, and he who performs
the Śrāddha (must act in the same manner).

189. For the manes attend the invited Brāhmaṇas, follow them (when they walk)
like the wind, and sit near them when they are seated.

190. But a Brāhmaṇa who, being duly invited to a rite in honour of the gods
or of the manes, in any way breaks (the appointment), becomes guilty (of a
crime), and (in his next birth) a hog.

191. But he who, being invited to a Śrāddha, dallies with a Śūdra woman,
takes upon himself all the sins which the giver (of the feast) committed.

192. The manes are primeval deities, free from anger, careful of purity,
ever chaste, averse from strife, and endowed with great virtues.

193. Now learn fully from whom all these (manes derive) their origin, and
with what ceremonies they ought to be worshipped.

194. The (various) classes of the manes are declared to be the sons of all
those sages, Marīki and the rest, who are children of Manu, the son of
Hiraṇyagarbha.

195. The Somasads, the sons of Virāj, are stated to be the manes of the
Sādhyas, and the Agniṣvāttas, the children of Marīki, are famous in the
world (as the manes) of the gods.

196. The Barhiṣads, born of Atri, are recorded to be (the manes) of the
Daityas, Dānavas, Yakṣas, Gandharvas, Snake-deities, Rākṣasas, Suparṇas,
and Kinnaras,

197. The Somapas those of the Brāhmaṇas, the Havirbhujas those of the
Kṣatriyas, the Ājyapas those of the Vaiśyas, but the Sukālins those of the
Śūdras.

198. The Somapas are the sons of Kavi (Bhṛgu), the Haviṣmats the children
of Aṅgiras, the Ājyapas the offspring of Pulastya, but the Sukālins (the
issue) of Vasiṣṭha.

199. One should know that (other classes), the Agnidagdhas, the
Anagnidagdhas, the Kāvyas, the Barhiṣads, the Agniṣvāttas, and the
Saumyas, are (the manes) of the Brāhmaṇas alone.

200. But know also that there exist in this (world) countless sons and
grandsons of those chief classes of manes which have been enumerated.

201. From the sages sprang the manes, from the manes the gods and the
Dānavas, but from the gods the whole world, both the movable and the
immovable in due order.

202. Even water offered with faith (to the manes) in vessels made of silver
or adorned with silver, produces endless (bliss).

203. For twice-born men the rite in honour of the manes is more important
than the rite in honour of the gods; for the offering to the gods which
precedes (the Śrāddhas), has been declared to be a means of fortifying (the
latter).

204. Let him first invite a (Brāhmaṇa) in honour of the gods as a
protection for the (offering to the manes); for the Rākṣasas destroy a
funeral sacrifice which is left without such a protection.

205. Let him make (the Śrāddha) begin and end with (a rite) in honour of
the gods; it shall not begin and end with a (rite) to the manes; for he who
makes it begin and end with a (rite) in honour of the manes, soon perishes
together with his progeny.

206. Let him smear a pure and secluded place with cowdung, and carefully
make it sloping towards the south.

207. The manes are always pleased with offerings made in open, naturally
pure places, on the banks of rivers, and in secluded spots.

208. The (sacrificer) shall make the (invited) Brāhmaṇas, who have duly
performed their ablutions, sit down on separate, prepared seats, on which
blades of Kuśa grass have been placed.

209. Having placed those blameless Brāhmaṇas on their seats, he shall honour
them with fragrant garlands and perfumes, beginning with (those who are
invited in honour of) the gods.

210. Having presented to them water, sesamum grains, and blades of Kuśa
grass, the Brāhmaṇa (sacrificer) shall offer (oblations) in the sacred fire,
after having received permission (to do so) from (all) the Brāhmaṇa (guests)
conjointly.

211. Having first, according to the rule, performed, as a means of
protecting (the Śrāddha), oblations to Agni, to Soma, and to Yama, let him
afterwards satisfy the manes by a gift of sacrificial food.

212. But if no (sacred) fire (is available), he shall place (the offerings)
into the hand of a Brāhmaṇa; for Brāhmaṇas who know the sacred texts
declare, 'What fire is, even such is a Brāhmaṇa.'

213. They (also) call those first of twice-born men the ancient deities of
the funeral sacrifice, free from anger, easily pleased, employed in making
men prosper.

214. After he has performed (the oblations) in the fire, (and) the whole
series of ceremonies in such a manner that they end in the south, let him
sprinkle water with his right hand on the spot (where the cakes are to be
placed).

215. But having made three cakes out of the remainder of that sacrificial
food, he must, concentrating his mind and turning towards the south, place
them on (Kuśa grass) exactly in the same manner in which (he poured out the
libations of) water.

216. Having offered those cakes according to the (prescribed) rule, being
pure, let him wipe the same hand with (the roots of) those blades of Kuśa
grass for the sake of the (three ancestors) who partake of the wipings
(lepa).

217. Having (next) sipped water, turned round (towards the north), and
thrice slowly suppressed his breath, (the sacrificer) who knows the sacred
texts shall worship (the guardian deities of) the six seasons and the manes.

218. Let him gently pour out the remainder of the water near the cakes, and,
with fixed attention, smell those cakes, in the order in which they were
placed (on the ground).

219. But taking successively very small portions from the cakes, he shall
make those seated Brāhmaṇas eat them, in accordance with the rule, before
(their dinner).

220. But if the (sacrificer's) father is living, he must offer (the cakes)
to three remoter (ancestors); or he may also feed his father at the funeral
sacrifice as (one of the) Brāhmaṇa (guests).

221. But he whose father is dead, while his grandfather lives, shall, after
pronouncing his father's name, mention (that of) his great-grandfather.

222. Manu has declared that either the grandfather may eat at that Śrāddha
(as a guest), or (the grandson) having received permission, may perform it,
as he desires.

223. Having poured water mixed with sesamum, in which a blade of Kuśa grass
has been placed, into the hands of the (guests), he shall give (to each)
that (above-mentioned) portion of the cake, saying, 'To those, Svadhā!'

224. But carrying (the vessel) filled with food with both hands, the
(sacrificer) himself shall gently place it before the Brāhmaṇas, meditating
on the manes.

225. The malevolent Asuras forcibly snatch away that food which is brought
without being held with both hands.

226. Let him, being pure and attentive, carefully place on the ground the
seasoning (for the rice), such as broths and pot herbs, sweet and sour milk,
and honey,

227. (As well as) various (kinds of) hard food which require mastication,
and of soft food, roots, fruits, savoury meat, and fragrant drinks.

228. All this he shall present (to his guests), being pure and attentive,
successively invite them to partake of each (dish), proclaiming its
qualities.

229. Let him on no account drop a tear, become angry or utter an untruth,
nor let him touch the food with his foot nor violently shake it.

230. A tear sends the (food) to the Pretas, anger to his enemies, a
falsehood to the dogs, contact with his foot to the Rākṣasas, a shaking to
the sinners.

231. Whatever may please the Brāhmaṇas, let him give without grudging it;
let him give riddles from the Veda, for that is agreeable to the manes.

232. At a (sacrifice in honour) of the manes, he must let (his guests) hear
the Veda, the Institutes of the sacred law, legends, tales, Purāṇas, and
Khilas.

233. Himself being delighted, let him give delight to the Brāhmaṇas, cause
them to partake gradually and slowly (of each dish), and repeatedly invite
(them to eat) by (offering) the food and (praising) its qualities.

234. Let him eagerly entertain at a funeral sacrifice a daughter's son,
though he be a student, and let him place a Nepal blanket on the seat (of
each guest), scattering sesamum grains on the ground.

235. There are three means of sanctification, (to be used) at a Śrāddha, a
daughter's son, a Nepal blanket, and sesamum grains; and they recommend
three (other things) for it, cleanliness, suppression of anger, and absence
of haste.

236. All the food must be very hot, and the (guests) shall eat in silence;
(even though) asked by the giver (of the feast), the Brāhmaṇas shall not
proclaim the qualities of the sacrificial food.

237. As long as the food remains warm, as long as they eat in silence, as
long as the qualities of the food are not proclaimed, so long the manes
partake (of it).

238. What (a guest) eats, covering his head, what he eats with his face
turned towards the south, what he eats with sandals on (his feet), that the
Rākṣasas consume.

239. A Caṇḍāla, a village pig, a cock, a dog, a menstruating woman, and a
eunuch must not look at the Brāhmaṇas while they eat.

240. What (any of) these sees at a burnt-oblation, at a (solemn) gift, at a
dinner (given to Brāhmaṇas), or at any rite in honour of the gods and
manes, that produces not the intended result.

241. A boar makes (the rite) useless by inhaling the smell (of the
offerings), a cock by the air of his wings, a dog by throwing his eye (on
them), a low-caste man by touching (them).

242. If a lame man, a one-eyed man, one deficient in a limb, or one with a
redundant limb, be even the servant of the performer (of the Śrāddha), he
must be removed from that place (where the Śrāddha is held).

243. To a Brāhmaṇa (householder), or to an ascetic who comes for food, he
may, with the permission of (his) Brāhmaṇa (guests), show honour according
to his ability.

244. Let him mix all the kinds of food together, sprinkle them with water
and put them, scattering them (on Kuśa grass), down on the ground in front
of (his guests), when they have finished their meal.

245. The remnant (in the dishes), and the portion scattered on Kuśa grass,
shall be the share of deceased (children) who received not the sacrament (of
cremation) and of those who (unjustly) forsook noble wives.

246. They declare the fragments which have fallen on the ground at a
(Śrāddha) to the manes, to be the share of honest, dutiful servants.

247. But before the performance of the Sapiṇḍīkaraṇa, one must feed at the
funeral sacrifice in honour of a (recently-) deceased Aryan (one Brāhmaṇa)
without (making an offering) to the gods, and give one cake only.

248. But after the Sapiṇḍīkaraṇa of the (deceased father) has been performed
according to the sacred law, the sons must offer the cakes with those
ceremonies, (described above).

249. The foolish man who, after having eaten a Śrāddha (-dinner), gives the
leavings to a Śūdra, falls headlong into the Kālasūtra hell.

250. If the partaker of a Śrāddha (-dinner) enters on the same day the bed
of a Śūdra female, the manes of his (ancestors) will lie during that month
in her ordure.

251. Having addressed the question, 'Have you dined well?' (to his guests),
let him give water for sipping to them who are satisfied, and dismiss them,
after they have sipped water, (with the words) 'Rest either (here or at
home)!'

252. The Brāhmaṇa (guests) shall then answer him, 'Let there be Svadhā;'
for at all rites in honour of the manes the word Svadhā is the highest
benison.

253. Next let him inform (his guests) who have finished their meal, of the
food which remains; with the permission of the Brāhmaṇas let him dispose (of
that), as they may direct.

254. At a (Śrāddha) in honour of the manes one must use (in asking of the
guests if they are satisfied, the word) svaditam; at a Goṣṭhī-śrāddha, (the
word) suśrutam; at a Vṛddhi-śrāddha, (the word) sampannam; and at (a rite)
in honour of the gods, (the word) rucitam.

255. The afternoon, Kuśa grass, the due preparation of the dwelling, sesamum
grains, liberality, the careful preparation of the food, and (the company
of) distinguished Brāhmaṇas are true riches at all funeral sacrifices.

256. Know that Kuśa grass, purificatory (texts), the morning, sacrificial
viands of all kinds, and those means of purification, mentioned above, are
blessings at a sacrifice to the gods.

257. The food eaten by hermits in the forest, milk, Soma-juice, meat which
is not prepared (with spices), and salt unprepared by art, are called, on
account of their nature, sacrificial food.

258. Having dismissed the (invited) Brāhmaṇas, let him, with a concentrated
mind, silent and pure, look towards the south and ask these blessings of the
manes:

259. 'May liberal men abound with us! May (our knowledge of) the Vedas and
(our) progeny increase! May faith not forsake us! May we have much to give
(to the needy)!'

260. Having thus offered (the cakes), let him, after (the prayer), cause a
cow, a Brāhmaṇa, a goat, or the sacred fire to consume those cakes, or let
him throw them into water.

261. Some make the offering of the cakes after (the dinner); some cause
(them) to be eaten by birds or throw them into fire or into water.

262. The (sacrificer's) first wife, who is faithful and intent on the
worship of the manes, may eat the middle-most cake, (if she be) desirous of
bearing a son.

263. (Thus) she will bring forth a son who will be long-lived, famous,
intelligent, rich, the father of numerous offspring, endowed with (the
quality of) goodness, and righteous.

264. Having washed his hands and sipped water, let him prepare (food) for
his paternal relations and, after giving it to them with due respect, let
him feed his maternal relatives also.

265. But the remnants shall be left (where they lie) until the Brāhmaṇas
have been dismissed; afterwards he shall perform the (daily) domestic
Bali-offering; that is a settled (rule of the) sacred law.

266. I will now fully declare what kind of sacrificial food, given to the
manes according to the rule, will serve for a long time or for eternity.

267. The ancestors of men are satisfied for one month with sesamum grains,
rice, barley, māṣa beans, water, roots, and fruits, which have been given
according to the prescribed rule,

268. Two months with fish, three months with the meat of gazelles, four with
mutton, and five indeed with the flesh of birds,

269. Six months with the flesh of kids, seven with that of spotted deer,
eight with that of the black antelope, but nine with that of the (deer
called) Ruru,

270. Ten months they are satisfied with the meat of boars and buffaloes, but
eleven months indeed with that of hares and tortoises,

271. One year with cow-milk and milk-rice; from the flesh of a long-eared
white he-goat their satisfaction endures twelve years.

272. The (vegetable called) Kālaśāka, (the fish called) Mahāśalka, the
flesh of a rhinoceros and that of a red goat, and all kinds of food eaten
by hermits in the forest serve for an endless time.

273. Whatever (food), mixed with honey, one gives on the thirteenth lunar
day in the rainy season under the asterism of Maghāḥ, that also procures
endless (satisfaction).

274. 'May such a man (the manes say) be born in our family who will give us
milk-rice, with honey and clarified butter, on the thirteenth lunar day (of
the month of Bhādrapada) and (in the afternoon) when the shadow of an
elephant falls towards the east.'

275. Whatever (a man), full of faith, duly gives according to the prescribed
rule, that becomes in the other world a perpetual and imperishable
(gratification) for the manes.

276. The days of the dark half of the month, beginning with the tenth, but
excepting the fourteenth, are recommended for a funeral sacrifice; (it is)
not thus (with) the others.

277. He who performs it on the even (lunar) days and under the even
constellations, gains (the fulfilment of) all his wishes; he who honours the
manes on odd (lunar days) and under odd (constellations), obtains
distinguished offspring.

278. As the second half of the month is preferable to the first half, even
so the afternoon is better for (the performance of) a funeral sacrifice than
the forenoon.

279. Let him, untired, duly perform the (rites) in honour of the manes in
accordance with the prescribed rule, passing the sacred thread over the
right shoulder, proceeding from the left to the right (and) holding Kuśa
grass in his hands, up to the end (of the ceremony).

280. Let him not perform a funeral sacrifice at night, because the (night)
is declared to belong to the Rākṣasas, nor in the twilight, nor when the
sun has just risen.

281. Let him offer here below a funeral sacrifice, according to the rule
given above, (at least) thrice a year, in winter, in summer, and in the
rainy season, but that which is included among the five great sacrifices,
every day.

282. The burnt-oblation, offered at a sacrifice to the manes, must not be
made in a common fire; a Brāhmaṇa who keeps a sacred fire (shall) not
(perform) a funeral sacrifice except on the new-moon day.

283. Even when a Brāhmaṇa, after bathing, satisfies the manes with water,
he obtains thereby the whole reward for the performance of the (daily)
Śrāddha.

284. They call (the manes of) fathers Vasus, (those of) grandfathers Rudras,
and (those of) great-grandfathers Ādityas; thus (speaks) the eternal Veda.

285. Let him daily partake of the vighasa and daily eat amṛta (ambrosia);
but vighasa is what remains from the meal (of Brāhmaṇa guests) and the
remainder of a sacrifice (is called) amṛta.

286. Thus all the ordinances relating to the five (daily great) sacrifices
have been declared to you; hear now the law for the manner of living fit for
Brāhmaṇas.
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