Deva Yajna and Worthy Recipients

The rishis said

Suta, who knows the meaning of everything, excellent one, please tell us about the place and other things.

Suta replied

A pure house gives the same fruits as a deva yajna and related rites. A cow pen gives ten times as much. A water bank gives ten times as much. The root of a bilva tree, the root of an ashvattha tree or the base of a tulasi plant gives ten times as much. A god's abode or a river bank gives ten times as much. A holy place on a river gives ten times what an ordinary river does. The banks of the seven Gangas give ten times as much; the seven are Ganga, Godavari, Kaveri, Tamraparni, Sindhu, Sarayu and Reva. The ocean shore gives ten times as much, and mountain summits ten times more. Of all these, the place where the mind is at peace is the best.

In krita yuga the fruits of sacrifices and gifts were complete. In treta they became three-fourths. In dvapara one always gains half. In kali yuga only a quarter is gained, and when one quarter of kali yuga is left, only half of that. A pure self and an auspicious day give the full auspicious fruits. But the learned know the fruits become ten times more at the time of a sankranti, ten times again at the vishuva sankranti, ten times again at the turning from one ayana to the other, and likewise at the mriga sankranti. At a lunar eclipse it is ten times that again, and at a total solar eclipse ten times that. Surya is the form of the universe and at that time is joined with poison, so ailments spread. To calm the poison one should bathe, give and do japa. The time when the poison is calmed is said to be auspicious. When one's birth star is in the ascendant, and when a vow is completed, the efficacy is the same as during a solar eclipse. The time spent with great and virtuous people gives fruits ten times those of a solar eclipse. Those devoted to austerity, those devoted to knowledge, yogis and mendicants are those who deserve worship. They are patras, worthy recipients who destroy sins. A brahmana who has done japa of the gayatri 2,400,000 times is also such a patra and enjoys the full fruits. The sacred texts say a person who saves from downfall is a patra. He is called patra because he saves a giver from sin; in the same way the gayatri is said to save its reciter from downfall. A person without riches cannot give riches to another; in this world only a wealthy person can give riches to others. Similarly only those who are purified and pure themselves are fit to save others. A brahmana purified by japa of the gayatri is called a pure brahmana. So in giving, japa, oblations, worship and all other rites it is such a brahmana who is worthy of gifts, a patra who saves others. For giving cooked food, a hungry man or woman is a deserving patra. At that time one must control oneself, invite an excellent brahmana with meaningful words and give him riches. Such a person can give the desired fruits. Voluntary gifts to a person give the full fruits. Gifts given after being asked give only half. Gifts to servants give only a quarter.

Bulls among brahmanas, giving riches to a distressed person without livelihood, only because he is a brahmana, gives pleasures in this world for ten years. If he is a brahmana who knows the Vedas, it gives heaven for ten years. If he does japa of the gayatri, it ensures Satyaloka for ten years. If he is Vishnu's devotee, it ensures Vaikuntha. If he is Shiva's devotee, Kailasa is ensured. Different gifts ensure all the desired pleasures in different worlds. If a man gives a brahmana cooked food with ten accompaniments on a Sunday, in his next birth he enjoys freedom from disease for ten years. The ten accompaniments with the cooked food are: showing great honour when inviting; rubbing the body with oil; tending the feet; offering a garment; worshipping with fragrances; serving cakes made in ghee; offering food with the six tastes; offering betel; giving a fee; and bowing and following him a while when he leaves. Done on a Sunday, this keeps ill health away for a hundred years. On Monday and the other days he gains the fruits of that day. The fruits of giving food are enjoyed in this world and in the next birth. Giving food to ten brahmanas on each of the seven days brings good health and other benefits for a hundred years. Giving to a hundred brahmanas on Sunday, a man enjoys good health in Sharva's world for a thousand years; to a thousand, for ten thousand years. So a learned man can work out the benefits for Monday and the other days. On Sunday, giving cooked food to a thousand brahmanas whose minds are purified by the gayatri gives good health and other benefits in Satyaloka; to ten thousand, Vishnu's world; to a hundred thousand, Rudra's world. Men seeking learning should give to children, taking them as equal to the brahman. Men who desire sons give to young men, taking them as equal to Vishnu. Men seeking knowledge give to the aged, as equal to Rudra. Men desiring intelligence give to young girls as equal to Bharati. Excellent men desiring pleasures give to young women as equal to Lakshmi. Those seeking the self give to old women as equal to Parvati.

Pure objects are said to be those earned by gleaning, picking up grain, and the fee due to a guru; they give complete fruits. Gifts from pure people are called medium. Those got by farming and trade are called inferior. Kshatriyas and vaishyas should earn by valour and trade respectively. For shudras the superior objects are those earned by service. For women seeking dharma, objects come from the father or husband. If one wants prosperity, cattle and other things should be given in the twelve months, Chaitra and the rest, when an auspicious occasion arises. The twelve are a cow, a plot of land, sesame, gold, ghee, garments, grain, molasses, silver, salt, a pumpkin and a maiden. Gifts of cows, milk products and cow dung counter faults from wealth or grain. Cow's urine counters faults from water and oil. Bodily faults are countered by milk, curd and ghee, as the learned know from the nourishment these bring. Brahmanas, gifts of land ensure the giver's footing in this world and the next. The learned know gifts of sesame always give strength and ward off death. Gold nourishes the digestive fire and increases vigour. Ghee nourishes, and the gift of learning gives long life. A gift of grain ensures prosperity in food. Molasses ensures sweet food. Silver increases semen and salt ensures the six flavours. A pumpkin ensures nourishment. Brahmanas, all these increase every kind of prosperity and pleasures are gained in this world and the next. The gift of a maiden ensures pleasures and makes one a jivanmukta. Learned people who want success give fruits like jackfruit, mango, wood-apple, fruits of other trees, plantain, herbs, creeper fruits, gram, mudga, other fruits, vegetables, chillies, mustard and other vegetable products. To satisfy the senses such as the ears, the learned give pleasant sounds, which also content the four directions. The Vedas and sacred texts must be learned from the guru's mouth himself. A believer's understanding is one that accepts that karma leads to fruits. Devotion born of fear, because of relatives or the king, is inferior. A poor person must worship by every means, words and deeds. Worship by words is pursuing learning, mantras and japa. Physical worship is visiting holy places, keeping vows and other daily rites. Whatever the method, little or much, if the mind offers it to a god, it is thought to lead to pleasures. One must always follow the two tasks of austerity and giving. Depending on the seeker's varna and qualities, refuge must be offered. The learned know that satisfying the gods leads to every kind of pleasure. A learned person always gains an excellent birth in this world and pleasures here and hereafter. If the leaning is such that everything is offered to Ishvara, one gains moksha. A man who constantly reads or hears this chapter turns his understanding to dharma and succeeds in gaining knowledge.