त्रीणि चात्र प्रशंसंति सत्यमक्रोधमत्वराम्। सायं संध्यां परान्नं च पुनर्भोजनमैथुनम्
Here three things are praised: truthfulness, absence of anger, and lack of haste; evening twilight, food from another, eating again, and sexual union are to be avoided.
दानं प्रतिग्रहं चैव श्राद्धं कृत्वा विवर्जयेत्। अकर्तव्यशतं कृत्वा श्राद्धं कुर्याद्विचक्षणः
One should avoid giving and receiving gifts, and performing śrāddha at improper times; but a wise person may perform śrāddha even after committing a hundred forbidden acts.
तच्च कर्तव्यतामेति स्वयमुक्तं विरिंचिना। शृणु पुत्र पुरावृत्तं बहूनां च वदाम्यहम्
That becomes a duty, as declared by Brahmā himself; listen, my son, I will tell you of ancient events and of many others.
गुरोर्गोहननं कृत्वा ददुः श्राद्धं ययुर्दिवम्। तेषां च कीर्त्तनादेव श्राद्धं भवति चाक्षयम्
Having killed their teacher’s favorite cow, they performed śrāddha and ascended to heaven; even by recounting their story, the śrāddha becomes inexhaustible.
वसिष्ठस्य मुनेः शिष्या ब्राह्मणास्सप्त सुव्रताः। पितृश्राद्धे समायाते होमधेनुं गुरोः प्रियाम्
The seven virtuous Brahmin disciples of sage Vasiṣṭha, when the ancestral rite approached, desired their teacher’s beloved sacrificial cow.
प्रार्थयित्वा गृहं नीत्वा सप्तभिर्भ्रातृभिर्मुदा। गव्यार्थं पितृयज्ञे तां धेनुं हत्वा विमृश्य च
After requesting and joyfully taking her home with their seven brothers, they killed the cow for the ancestral sacrifice, reflecting on the act.
ददुर्मांसं च विप्रे च शेषं विप्रांस्त्वभोजयन्। समाप्य पितृकर्माणि वत्सं संगृह्यते द्विजाः
They gave the meat to a Brahmin and fed the remainder to other Brahmins; having completed the ancestral rites, they took the calf, O twice-born.
गुरौ समर्पयामासुर्धेनुर्व्याघ्रेण भक्षिता। ततस्तपोर्बलादेव ज्ञात्वा तेषां च कारणम्
They returned the cow, which had been eaten by a tiger, to their teacher; by the power of his austerity, he understood the reason for their act.
स शशाप ततः शिष्यांश्चाडालाश्च भविष्यथ। वेपमानास्ततो विप्राः कृतांजलिपुटाः स्थिताः
Then he cursed his disciples, saying, 'You shall become outcastes'; the Brahmins, trembling, stood with joined palms.
धेनोर्मांसंप्रदातारः पितृकृत्ये सदानघ। अकर्तव्यसहस्राणि महांति पातकानि च
Those who give cow’s flesh in the ancestral rite, O sinless one, commit thousands of forbidden acts and great sins.
कुर्वंतः पितृकार्येषु पापात्पूता दिवं गताः। श्रुतं बहुविधं नाथ मुखात्ते च पुरातनम्
Yet, performing ancestral rites, they were purified from sin and attained heaven; much has been heard from your mouth, O Lord, of ancient times.
क्षंतुमर्हसि धर्मज्ञ शापस्यांतो विधीयताम्। वसिष्ठ उवाच-। शापो वोथ यथा पाप्मा न तु धर्मविचारणात्
You should forgive, O knower of dharma, and set a limit to the curse; Vasiṣṭha said: 'The curse is as it is, not from deliberation on dharma.'
चांडालादौ समुत्पन्नाः पुरावृत्तं स्मरिष्यथ। न च वो ज्ञानलोपश्च स्मृतिशास्त्रमनष्टकम्
You will be born among outcastes and others, remembering past events; but you will not lose knowledge, nor will the scriptures be forgotten.
पापयोनिं समुत्तीर्य पश्चान्मोक्षं गमिष्यथ। ततः प्राणान्परित्यज्य गुरुशापात्तु ते द्विजाः
Having crossed a sinful birth, you will later attain liberation; then, giving up their lives due to the teacher’s curse, those twice-born were born again.
जाताश्चांडालयोनौ तु सर्वे ज्ञानसमन्विताः। स्तन्यं तैस्तु न पीतं वै स्मरद्भिः पूर्वजन्म तत्
They were all born in the caste of outcastes, endowed with knowledge; they did not drink their mother’s milk, remembering their former birth.
मृता जाता मृगाः सर्वे चक्रवाकाः पुनर्वने। हंसास्तु मानसे तीर्थे शुक्ला जाताः पुनर्द्विजाः
All died and were born as deer, then as chakravāka birds in the forest; as white swans at the Mānasa lake, they were again born as twice-born.
मुमूर्षवो महाभागा मृतास्ते खेदकारणात्। तस्मिन्काले महाराजो धर्मकेतुरिति स्मृतः
Those great souls, desiring to die, perished due to suffering; at that time, the great king known as Dharmaketu was remembered.
ययौ स्नातुं ततस्तीर्थं सदारः सपरिच्छदः। ततो हंसास्त्रयो मोहाद्राज्यं भोग्यं तु योषितः
Then, with his wife and retinue, he went to bathe at that sacred place; there, three swans, out of delusion, enjoyed the pleasures of the kingdom as women.
भक्ष्याणि चिंतयंतश्च लोकांतरमयुस्तदा। ज्ञात्वा वेदं च वेदांगं मोक्षं यास्यामहे वयम्
Thinking of food, they departed to another world at that time; knowing the Veda and its limbs, they said, 'We shall attain liberation.'
चिंतयंतो गता अन्ये ततो लोकांतरं प्रति। अथ त्रयो नृपा जाताश्चत्वारो विप्रसत्तमाः
While reflecting, others too departed towards another world; then three became kings, and four became excellent brahmins.
कुरुक्षेत्रे ततो वेदान्वेदांगानि समंततः। तपोबलाद्विदंति स्म वार्तां चामुत्र चेह च
Thereafter, in Kurukshetra, they thoroughly knew the Vedas and their branches; by the power of their austerity, they understood news both here and in the other world.
त्रयो राजकुले जाता राजानो मदमोहिताः। ज्ञानलोपात्परं लोकं न जानंति हिताहितम्
Three were born in royal families as kings, intoxicated by pride and delusion; lacking knowledge, they did not know the higher world nor what is beneficial or harmful.
ते च विप्राश्च संदेहादाहूय चेटकं स्वकम्। राज्ञो गच्छ स्वकार्पण्यात्पत्रं देहि च संभ्रमात्
Those brahmins, in doubt, summoned their own attendant and said, 'Go to the king, and out of your own humility, give him this letter quickly.'
सप्त व्याधा दशार्णेषु मृगाः कालंजरे गिरौ। चक्रवाकाः शरद्वीपे हंसाः सरसि मानसे
Seven became hunters in Dasharna, deer on Mount Kalanjara, chakravaka birds on Sharad Island, and swans in Lake Manasa.
तेपि जाताः कुरुक्षेत्रे ब्राह्मणा वेदपारगाः। प्रस्थिता दूतमध्वानं यूयं किमवसीदथ
They too were born in Kurukshetra as brahmins accomplished in the Vedas; having set out on the messenger's path, they asked, 'Why are you despondent?'
गृहीत्वा चेटको लेखं राज्ञस्तु समदर्शयत्। दृष्ट्वा लेखं तु राजानो राज्यं त्यक्त्वा ययुर्द्विजान्
The attendant, taking the letter, showed it to the king; seeing the letter, the kings abandoned their kingdoms and went to the brahmins.
श्रुत्वा वाक्यं ततस्तेषां गतास्ते च तपोधनाः। अचिरेणैव कालेन मोक्षं याताश्च तैस्सह
Hearing those words, the ascetics departed; in a short time, together with them, they attained liberation.
य इदं शृणुयाच्छ्राद्धे सप्तव्याधादिकं द्विज। अक्षयं चान्नपानं च पितॄणामुपतिष्ठति
O twice-born, whoever hears this account of the seven hunters and others at a śrāddha, inexhaustible food and drink will be offered to his ancestors.
द्विज उवाच-। वित्तहीनस्य विप्रस्य पितृकार्यं कथं भवेत्। तपस्विनो वनस्थस्य गृहस्थस्य च केशव
The brahmin said: 'How can the ancestral rites be performed by a brahmin who is without wealth, or by an ascetic in the forest, or by a householder, O Keśava?
भगवानुवाच-। तृणकाष्ठार्जनं कृत्वा प्रार्थयित्वा वराटकम्। करोति पितृकार्याणि ततो लक्षगुणं भवेत् ३०० 1.50.
The Blessed Lord said: 'By gathering grass and wood, and requesting a small coin, if one performs the ancestral rites, the result is a hundred thousand times greater.'