Men
conversant with morality say that if the Sudra approaches any one
belonging to the three regenerate orders from desire of doing menial
service, the latter should assign him proper work. Unto the sonless Sudra
his master should offer the funeral cake. The weak and the old amongst
them should be maintained.[183] The Sudra should never abandon his
master, whatever the nature or degree of the distress into which the
latter may fall. If the master loses his wealth, he should with excessive
zeal be supported by the Sudra servant. A Sudra cannot have any wealth
that is his own. Whatever he possesses belongs lawfully to his
master.[184] Sacrifice has been laid down as a duty of the three other
orders. It has been ordained for the Sudra also, O Bharata! A Sudra,
however, is not competent to titter swaha and swadha or any other Vedic
mantra. For this reason, the Sudra, without observing the vows laid down
in the Vedas, should worship the gods in minor sacrifices called
Paka-yajnas. The gift called Purna-patra is declared to be the Dakshina
of such sacrifices.[185] It has been heard by us that in days of old a
Sudra of the name of Paijavana gave a Dakshina (in one of his sacrifices)
consisting of a hundred thousand Purnapatras, according to the ordinance
called Aindragni.[186] Sacrifice (as has been already said), is as much
laid down for the Sudra as for the three other classes. Of all
sacrifices, devotion has been laid down to be the foremost.[187] Devotion
is a high deity.
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