[79] He should not live with people who have fallen, nor with ‘Fierce’ Untouchables, ‘Tribals’, fools, arrogant men, men of the lowest castes, and ‘Those Who End Up at the Bottom’. [80] He should not share his opinions with a servant, nor the leftovers from his meals, or oblations; nor should he instruct him about his duty or assign a vow to him. [81] For a man who teaches a servant his duty or assigns a vow to him sinks with him into that dark hell called ‘Exposed’. [82] He should not scratch his head with both his hands joined or touch it with food still on his hands; nor should he bathe without washing it too. [83] He should avoid pulling (anyone’s) hair and beating (anyone’s) head. And after he has washed his head (with oil), he should not touch any part of his body whatsoever with the oil.
[84] He should not accept (gifts) from a king who was begotten by those who are not of the ruling class, nor from people who run slaughter-houses, oil-presses, or taverns, nor from those who live off whorehouses. [85] An oil-press is the same as ten slaughter-houses, a tavern is the same as ten oil-presses, a whorehouse is the same as ten taverns, and a king is the same as ten whorehouses. [86] A king is traditionally regarded as the equal of a butcher who runs ten thousand slaughter-houses. To accept (gifts) from him is a horrible thing.
[87] He who accepts (gifts) from a greedy king who has veered away from the authoritative teachings goes, one after another, to these twenty-one hells: [88] ‘Darkness’, ‘Blind Darkness’, ‘Belonging to the Great Spotted Deer’, ‘Belonging to the Deer’, the hell called ‘the Thread of Time’, ‘the Great Hell’, [89] ‘Vivifying’, ‘the Great Washing Away’, ‘Burning’, ‘Excessively Burning’, ‘Crushing’, ‘Joined with the Raven’, ‘Shut Up Like a Bud’, ‘Stinking Earth’, [90] ‘Iron Spike’, ‘Dregs’, ‘Impelling’, ‘Thorny River’, ‘Forest of Sword Leaves’, and ‘Tearing with Iron’. [91] Knowing this, learned priests who expound the Veda and who hope for the best after death do not accept (gifts) from kings.
[92] He should wake up at the moment of Brahmā and reflect upon religion and profit and the trouble that they cause for the body, and upon the true meaning of the Veda. [93] When he has arisen, taken care of the necessities, and made himself unpolluted, he should stand with a concentrated mind during the morning twilight and chant Vedic verses for a long time; and (he should do so again) at the proper time for the evening (twilight). [94] Because of the length of their twilight rituals, the sages won long life, wisdom, fame, renown, and the splendour of the Veda.
[95] When he has performed the ritual that inaugurates the period of Veda study on (the full-moon day) in mid-July to mid-August or mid-August to mid-September in accordance with the rule, a priest should diligently engage in the recitation of the Vedic chants for four and a half months. [96] When the moon comes into the house of Puṣya in mid-December to mid-January, or on the first day of the fortnight of the waxing moon in mid-January to mid-February, in the forenoon of the day, outside (the village or town), a twice-born man should perform the ritual that closes the period of Veda chants. [97] When he has thus performed the ritual that closes the period of Veda chants, outside (the village or town), in accordance with the teaching, he should cease (study) for the rest of that day, that night, and the following day; (or) for (only) that very day and the following night. [98] From that time on he should, restrained, recite the Vedic chants during the fortnights of the waxing moon, and recite all the supplements to the Veda during the fortnights of the waning moon.
[99] He should not recite indistinctly, nor in the presence of those of the servant class; nor should he sleep again when he is exhausted at the end of the night from reciting the Veda. [100] He should always recite (the portion of the Veda) composed in meters, according to the rule stated above. For a twice-born man who is not in extremity should diligently (recite) both (the portion of the Veda containing) the explanation and the portion composed in meters.
[101] Both the student and the one who, following the rule, imparts the lessons to pupils should try to avoid the obligatory recitation on the following occasions when there is to be no recitation. [102] Those who know about recitation regard these as two occasions when there is to be no recitation in the rainy season: when the wind whistles in the ears at night, and when dust is kicked up during the day. [103] Manu has said that when there is lightning, thunder, and rain, or when there is a shower of giant meteors, these are occasions (in the rainy season) when there is to be no recitation up until that time the next day. [104] If these things have occurred just as the fires are re-enlivened, or also when rain clouds appear in the wrong season, it should be realized that there is to be no recitation.
[105] When there is a destructive storm, an earthquake, or an eclipse of the sun or moon, even when they occur in the rainy season, it should be known that these are occasions when there is to be no recitation until that time the next day. [106] But when there is (only) the sound of lightning and thunder (and not accompanying rain) as the fires are re-enlivened, there should be no recitation for as long as the sun or moon is up; when there is the remaining (phenomenon, i.e. rain, there should be no recitation) for a day and a night. [107] For those who want the greatest merit from fulfilling their duties, there is the obligation to cease recitation in villages or towns; and for everyone when there is a stench. [108] There is to be no recitation in a village in which there is a corpse, in the vicinity of a servant, when there is wailing, or in a crowd of people.
[109] A person should not even think about (reciting the Veda) in water, during the middle of the night, while expelling urine or excrement, when food is still left on his mouth and hands, or while eating at a ceremony for the dead. [110] A learned twice-born man should not recite for three days when he has accepted an invitation to a ceremony for one dead person, or when the king (has been polluted) by a birth, or when (the planet) Rāhu causes a lunar or solar eclipse. [111] A learned priest should not recite the Veda for as long as the smell and food-stains of the ceremony for one dead person cling to his body. [112] There should be no recitation in bed, while one’s feet are propped up, when squatting, when one has eaten flesh or the food of a woman who has just given birth, [113] when there is fog, when arrows are whizzing by, at either of the twilights, on the days of the new and full moon, and on the eighth and fourteenth days (of each lunar fortnight). [114] The new-moon day destroys the guru, the fourteenth day destroys the pupil, the full-moon day and the eighth day (after the full moon destroy) the Veda. He should therefore avoid those (days). [115] A twice-born man should not recite (the Veda) when it rains dust, when the sky glows red, when jackals howl, when dogs, donkeys, or camels cry out, or when he is in a group.
[116] He should not recite in a cremation ground, a village, or a cowpen; nor while wearing a garment that he has worn in sexual union, nor while accepting (anything) at a ceremony for the dead. [117] He should not recite even while taking something (that is given) at a ceremony for the dead, whatever it is, whether it has the breath of life or not. For the hand is traditionally regarded as the mouth of the twice-born. [118] When the village is overrun by thieves, when there is chaos due to fire, and in all cases of supernatural omens, one should know not to recite until that time the next day. [119] At the rituals inaugurating and closing the period of Veda study it is traditionally said that there should be a hiatus of three nights; on the ‘eighths’ and the nights ending each season, a day and night.
[120] A person mounted on a horse should not recite, nor anyone on a tree, an elephant, a boat, a donkey, or a camel, or standing on salty ground; nor anyone travelling in a carriage; [121] nor when there is an argument or a fight, nor in the midst of an army or a battle; nor when one has just eaten or has not digested (his food) or has vomited or belched; [122] nor without the permission of one’s guest; nor when the wind blows strongly; nor when blood flows from one’s limbs or when one has been wounded by a weapon.
[123] He should never recite the ṛg Veda or Yajur Veda while there is the sound of the Sāma Veda (being chanted); n
or when he has recited up to the end of a Veda or when he has recited a Wilderness Book. [124] The ṛg Veda has the gods as its deity, the Yajur Veda is for humans, but the Sāma Veda is traditionally said to belong to the ancestors, and thus the sound of it is polluted. [125] Knowing this, learned men daily first recite the essences of the three (Vedas), in order, and afterwards recite the Veda.
[126] It should be known that there is to be no recitation for a day and night when a sacrificial animal, frog, cat, dog, snake, mongoose, or rat passes between (teacher and student). [127] A twice-born man should always take pains to avoid two (occasions) when the recitation should cease: when the place where he recites privately is unclean and when he himself is polluted.
[128] A twice-born Vedic graduate should always remain chaste on the new- and full-moon days and on the eighth and fourteenth days (of each lunar fortnight), even during (his wife’s) fertile season. [129] He should not go for a bath after eating, nor when ill, nor in the middle of the night, nor always fully dressed, nor in an unknown body of water. [130] He should not intentionally step on the shadow of the (images of) deities, nor of a guru, king, Vedic graduate, teacher, tawny (creature), or anyone consecrated for a Soma sacrifice. [131] He should not linger at a crossroads in the middle of the day or the middle of the night, when he has eaten the flesh at a ceremony for the dead, or at either twilight. [132] He should not intentionally step in massage oils, bath water, excrement or urine, blood, nor in things with phlegm or saliva on them. [133] He should not dote upon an enemy, an enemy’s assistant, an irreligious man, a thief, or another man’s woman. [134] For it should be known that there is nothing whatsoever here on earth more conducive to shortening life than doting upon another man’s wife.
[135] A man who wishes to get on well should never despise a ruler, a snake, or a priest extremely learned in the Veda, even if they are weak. [136] For this triad, when despised, burns a man to cinders; therefore no intelligent man will ever despise this triad. [137] Nor should anyone despise himself for previous imperfections. One should strive for good fortune up until death, and not presuppose that it is too difficult to obtain. [138] A man should tell the truth and speak with kindness; he should not tell the truth unkindly nor utter lies out of kindness. This is a constant duty. [139] ‘Blessings, blessings,’ he should say, or ‘Blessings,’ is all he should say. He should not engage in fruitless enmity or argument with anyone.
[140] He should not ordinarily go out too early in the morning, too late at night, or just at midday; nor with a stranger, alone, or accompanied by servants. [141] He should not insult people who have too few or too many parts of the body, nor those who have too little learning or are too old, nor those who have too little beauty or wealth, or too low a birth.
[142] A priest who still has food on his mouth and hands should not touch cows, priests, or fire with his hand; nor, when he is healthy, should he even look at the celestial lights when he is polluted. [143] But if he has touched these while he is polluted, he should always wash the openings of his body, all the limbs, and the navel, with water held in the palm of his hand. [144] A man who is not ill should not touch the orifices of his own body without cause, and he should avoid his pubic hairs.
[145] He should engage diligently in auspicious conduct, self-control, and the conquest of his sensory powers. Tirelessly he should chant (Vedic verses) daily and offer sacrifices into the fire. [146] There will be no downfall for those who always engage diligently in auspicious conduct, self-control, chanting, and offering sacrifices. [147] Tirelessly he should chant the Veda daily at the proper time, for they say that that is his supreme duty; any other (duty) is said to be a subsidiary duty. [148] A person comes to remember his prior births through daily recitation of the Veda, purification, the generation of inner heat, and absence of malice to living beings. [149] Remembering his prior births, a twice-born man who recites the Veda attains perpetual, unending happiness through that recitation of the Veda.
[150] On the days of the (lunar) junctures, he should always make offerings to the sun-god and offerings into the fire for the pacification (of evil beings); and on the ‘eighths’ and ‘after-eighths’ he should always honour the ancestors.
[151] He should dispose of his urine far away from his dwelling place, far away (the water) used to wash his feet, far away the water used to wash away the leftovers of food. [152] Only in the morning should he clean his anus, anoint and adorn his body, take his bath, brush his teeth, put on his eye make-up, and worship the deities. [153] And in order to remain protected, on the days of the (lunar) junctures he should reverently approach the deities, priests who are religious, the lord of the land, and his gurus. [154] He should respectfully welcome eminent men, give them his own seat, sit down next to them with palms folded together, and when they leave he should follow behind them.
[155] Tirelessly he should engage in the good conduct appropriate to his own innate activities that has been thoroughly set down in the revealed canon and tradition and that is the very root of religion. [156] For from (good) conduct, he obtains longevity; from (good) conduct, desirable progeny; from (good) conduct, incorruptible wealth. For (good) conduct destroys a bad mark. [157] Indeed, a man of bad conduct becomes the object of reproach among people; he is always ill, and has an unhappy fortune and a short life. [158] Even if he has no (good) distinguishing marks, a man of good conduct who is faithful and without resentment lives for a hundred years.
[159] He should take pains to avoid any activity under another person’s control, but he should take pains to engage in any (activity) under his own control. [160] Everything under another person’s control is unhappiness, and everything under one’s own control is happiness; it should be known that this sums up the distinguishing marks of unhappiness and happiness. [161] Whatever activity satisfies him inwardly when he is doing it should be done zealously; but he should avoid the (activity) which is the opposite.
[162] He should not do violence to his teacher, the one who explains (the Veda), his father, mother, guru, priests, cows, or all those engaged in generating inner heat. [163] He should avoid atheism, reviling of the Veda, contempt of the deities, hatred, obstinacy, pride, anger, and sharpness. [164] He should not threaten another man with punishment or strike him down in anger, with the exception of his son or pupil. These two he may beat for the sake of instruction.
[165] A twice-born man who has threatened a priest with intent to kill is reborn for a hundred years in the hell called ‘Darkness’. [166] If, in a rage, he intentionally strikes (a priest), even if it is only with a blade of grass, he is born in the wombs of evil people for twenty-one births. [167] If a man draws blood from the body of a priest who is not fighting, he experiences very great unhappiness after death for his stupidity. [168] As many grains of dust as the blood coagulates on the ground, for so many years will the man who caused the bloodshed be eaten by others in the other world. [169] Therefore a learned man should never even threaten a twice-born (priest), he should not beat (a priest), even with a blade of grass, and he should not cause blood to flow from (a priest’s) body.
[170] For an irreligious man, a man whose wealth is dishonestly gained, or a sadist does not achieve happiness here on earth. [171] Even when he is sinking through the practice of religion, he should not set his mind on irreligion, seeing how quickly the tables are turned on evil, irreligious men. [172] Irreligious practices do not yield their fruits right away in this world, like a cow, but, turning back on him little by little, they sever the roots of the perpetrator. [173] If not on himself, then on his sons; and if not on his sons, on his grandsons, but in every case the irreligion that has been perpetrated never fails to bear fruit for the perpetrator. [174] A man thrives for a while through irreligion; he sees good fortune because of it and he conquers enemies because of it; but finally he and his roots are annihilated.
[175] He should take pleasure only in the truth, religion, occupations proper for an Aryan, and purification. He should instruct his pupils in accordance
with the law, restraining his speech, arms, and stomach. [176] He should renounce profit and pleasure if they should conflict with religion, and even religion when it results in future unhappiness or arouses people’s indignation. [177] He should not shake his arms and legs or let his eyes dart about or veer from the straight and narrow; he should not be wanton in his speech or malicious to others in mind or deed. [178] He should follow in the footsteps of his fathers and grandfathers; taking this path of good men, he will come to no harm.
[179–80] He should not engage in argument with his officiating priest, personal priest, or teacher, with his mother’s brother, a guest, or anyone who lives in his house, with a child or anyone who is old or ill or a physician, with a paternal relative, maternal relative, or in-law, with his mother, father, female relative, brother, son, wife, or daughter, or with the slaves. [181] Renouncing arguments with these people frees one from all evils; and conquered by these people, the householder in turn conquers all these worlds. [182] The teacher is master of Brahmā’s world, the father the lord of (the world) of the Lord of Creatures, the guest is master of Indra’s world, and the officiating priest (is master) of the world of the gods; [183] female relatives (are masters) in the world of the celestial nymphs, maternal relatives (in the world) of the All-gods, in-laws in the world of the waters, and the mother and the mother’s brother (are masters) on earth. [184] A child or anyone who is old or ill should be known as the rulers of the ether, an eldest brother as equal to the father, a wife and son as one’s very body, [185] one’s own slaves as one’s shadow, and one’s daughter as the supreme object of pity. Therefore if one is abused by these people, one should always bear it without getting heated by the fever of resentment.
The Laws of Manu Page 17