897. It is a deadly sin to take anything from the father-in-law or other
relatives (by marriage) of a daughter. What is got from such sources is,
to this day, spent freely. Those persons that sell their daughters in
marriage are universally reckoned as fallen.
898. The fact is, the duty of the householder obliges him to worship the
deities and the Pitris, and to become hospitable to the others named. The
Brahmana, however, has no ostensible means for discharging this duty. The
only means open to him is acceptance of gifts. In this case, acceptance,
therefore, for such ends is not productive of demerit.
899. Kritadapi is explained by the commentator as pakvannadapi.
900. The sense is that there is no gift which is too valuable for such
persons.
901. The first and the fourth verses are triplets in the Bengal texts.
902. These are, of course, religious acts.
903. In the Bengal texts verse 12 consists of on, line. This, I think, is
correct. Verses 13, 14, 15, and 16 form one sentence. Verse 12 is
complete by itself. The udaka in kalodaka should be taken as meaning
stream or river otherwise ahoratrajalena would be pleonastic. Again
arthakamajalena, to avoid, redundancy, should be taken as implying the
springs that supply the water. Vihinsa-taruvahina is, 'having benevolence
for the trees that float on its water.' This idea is beautiful. Creatures
that are being home away in, the stream of Time may catch these trees of
benevolence for saving themselves.
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