Brahma-khaṇḍa · Chapter 24
Sourceशौनक उवाच। विदुषांवर तत्त्वज्ञ कथयस्व महामते । इदानीं मम दानानां माहात्म्यं क्रमतो मुने १। सूत उवाच। क्षितिदानं मुनिश्रेष्ठ दानानामुत्तमं मतम् । येन कृतं वै तद्दानं सर्वदानफलं मतम् २। क्षितिं ससस्यां यो दद्याद्ब्राह्मणाय द्विजोत्तम । विष्णुलोके सुखं भुंक्ते यावदिंद्राश्चतुर्दश ३। पृथिव्यां जन्म चासाद्य सार्वभौमस्ततो नृपः । महीं सर्वां चिरं भुक्त्वा व्रजेद्वै श्रीहरेर्गृहम् ४। गोचर्ममात्रां भूमिं यः प्रयच्छति द्विजातये । स गच्छति हरेर्गेहं सर्वपापविवर्जितः ५। शतं गावो वृषश्चैको यत्र तिष्ठंत्ययंत्रिताः । गोचर्ममात्रां तां भूमिं प्रवदंति महर्षयः ६। भूमिनेता भूमिदाता द्वौ चापि स्वर्गगामिनौ । ग्राह्या भूमिर्द्विजैः प्राज्ञैस्त्यक्त्वा दानशतान्यपि ७। अज्ञानी भूसुरो यस्तु त्यजेद्भूमिं विमोहितः । प्रतिजन्मन्यसौ विप्रो भवेच्चात्यंत दुःखभाक् ८। अन्यतो यः समासाद्य दद्याद्भूमिं द्विजातये । तस्मै विप्र जगन्नाथो ददाति परमं पदम् ९। स्वदत्तां परदत्तां च मेदिनीं यो हरेद्द्विज । युक्तः कोटिकुलैर्याति नरकं चातिदारुणम् १०। हरेद्यो वै महीं विप्र देवब्राह्मणयोरपि । न दृष्टा निष्कृतिस्तस्य कोटिकल्पशतैर्मुने ११। भूमिं यो परदत्तां च रक्षति क्ष्मापतिर्द्विज । पुण्यं कोटिगुणं स्याद्वै तस्य दानं जनादपि १२। सप्तद्वीपां महीं दत्त्वा यत्पुण्यं प्राप्यते द्विज । तत्पुण्यं प्राप्नुयान्मर्त्यो धेनुं यच्छन्द्विजातये १३। ददाति वृषभं यस्तु दरिद्राय कुटुंबिने । सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तो शिवलोकं स गच्छति १४। तिलप्रमाणं स्वर्णं यो ब्राह्मणाय प्रयच्छति । हरेर्निकेतनं याति युक्तः कोटिकुलैरपि १५। यो दद्याद्रजतं विप्र साधवे भूसुराय वै । प्राप्नोति चंद्रलोकं च पिबेत्तत्रामृतं सदा १६। प्रवालं मौक्तिकं चैव हीरकं च मणिं तथा । यो ददाति द्विजश्रेष्ठ स्वर्गलोकं स गच्छति १७। तुलापुरुषदानेन यत्पुण्यं लभते जनः । शालग्रामशिलां दत्त्वा तस्मात्कोटिगुणं लभेत् १८। सप्तद्वीपां क्षितिं दत्वा सशैलवनकाननाम् । यत्पुण्यं लभते तद्वै शालग्रामशिलाप्रदः १९। शालग्रामशिलां यो वै दद्याद्भूमिसुराय च । तेन विप्र प्रदत्तानि भुवनानि चतुर्दश २०। तुलापुरुषदानं यः करोति द्विजपुंगव । जनन्याश्चोदरे तस्य पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते २१। सालंकारां द्विजश्रेष्ठ कन्यां यच्छति यो नरः । स गच्छेद्ब्रह्मसदनं पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते २२। कन्याविक्रयिणो नास्ति नरकान्निष्कृतिः पुनः । कन्यादानकृतो नास्ति स्वर्गादागमनं पुनः २३। उपानहौ वातपत्रं यो ददाति द्विजातये । प्रेत्य चेंद्रपुरं गत्वा वसेत्कल्पचतुष्टयम् २४। वस्त्रं यच्छति यो दिव्यं साधवे वै द्विजायते । स्वर्गे दिव्यांबरधरश्चिरं तिष्ठेद्द्विजोत्तम २५। धेनुं पुरातनीं यच्छेद्वस्त्रं च जरितं द्विज । नूत्नां रजोवतीं कन्यां स गच्छेन्निरयं तथा २६। कन्याविक्रयिणो ब्रह्मन्न पश्येल्लपनं बुधः । दृष्ट्वा चाज्ञानतो वापि कुर्य्यान्मार्तंड दर्शनम् २७। फलदाता नरो गच्छेत्त्रिदिवं च द्विजोत्तम । भुंक्ते कल्पसहस्राणि फलं तत्रामृतोपमम् २८। शाकं यच्छति यो मर्त्यो शिवस्यभवनं द्विज । याति कल्पद्वयं भुंक्ते दुर्ल्लभं पायसं सुरैः २९। घृतदो दधिदश्चैव तक्रदो दुग्धदस्तथा । विष्णोर्निकेतनं गत्वा सुधापानं करोति सः ३०। गंधदः पुष्पदश्चैव मर्त्यो याति सुरालयम् । तिष्ठेद्युगसहस्राणि गंधपुष्पविभूषितः ३१। शय्यादानं दानसारं ब्राह्मणाय ददाति यः । स याति ब्रह्मसदनं पर्य्यंके शेरते चिरम् ३२। पीठदाता दीपदाता सर्वदुष्कृतवर्जितः । स्वर्गे सिंहासने तिष्ठेज्ज्वलद्दीपावलीवृतः ३३। तांबूलं यो नरो दद्याद्भूमिं भुंक्तेऽखिलां सुखम् । स्वर्गे देवांगनाक्रोडे सुप्तस्तांबूलमत्ति वै ३४। विद्यादानं दानवरं करोति यो नरोत्तमः । प्रेत्य स सन्निधिं विष्णोस्तिष्ठेद्युगशतत्रयम् ३५। प्राप्य ज्ञानं ततस्तत्र दुर्ल्लभं वै द्विजर्षभ । दुर्ल्लभं मोक्षमाप्नोति श्रीहरेः कृपया द्विज ३६। अनाथं दुःखितं विप्रं पाठयेद्वै नरोत्तमः । श्रीहरेर्भवनं याति पुनर्जन्मविवर्जितः ३७। यो नरः पुस्तकं दद्याद्भक्तिश्रद्धासमन्वितः । प्रतिवर्णं लभेत्पुण्यं कपिलाकोटिदानजम् ३८। मधुदो गुडदश्चैव मर्त्यो यातीक्षुसागरम् । लवणप्रदो नरो याति वारुणं लोकमेव च ३९। सर्वेषामेव दानानामन्नं वारि द्विजोत्तम । तत्त्वज्ञैर्मुनिभिः सर्वैः प्रवरं वै प्रकीर्त्तितम् ४०। अन्नं वारि द्विजश्रेष्ठ येन दत्तं महीतले । तेन दत्तानि दानानि सर्वाणि च द्विजर्षभ ४१। अन्नदो यो नरो विप्र प्राणदश्च प्रकीर्त्तितः । तस्मात्समस्तदानानामन्नदो लभते फलम् ४२। यथाचान्नं तथा वारि द्वे तुल्ये च प्रकीर्त्तिते । वारिणा च विना चान्नं सिद्धं न स्याद्द्विजोत्तम ४३। क्षुधा तृषा द्विज व्याघ्र द्वे च तुल्ये प्रकीर्त्तिते । अतश्चान्नं च तोयं च श्रेष्ठं प्रोक्तं बुधैरपि ४४। अन्नदानं क्षितौ ब्रह्मन्ये कुर्वंति नरोत्तमाः । सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्ता गच्छंति हरिमंदिरम् ४५। यावंत्यन्नानि भो विप्र यच्छति क्षितिमंडले । ब्रह्महत्याश्च तावंत्यो नश्यंत्येव तपोधन ४६। यच्छतां चान्नदानानि शरीराणि च पातकम् । गात्राणि गृह्णतां त्यक्त्वा सहसा यांति शौनक ४७। अतः पापिष्ठ चान्नानि न गृह्णंति मनीषिणः । गृह्णंति मोहाद्ये मूढा भवंति पापभागिनः ४८। कुर्याद्भूमिष्ठमुदकं चैकं भो द्विजसत्तम । सर्वपापैर्विनिर्मुक्तो व्रजेत्स हरिमंदिरम् ४९। प्रयत्नेन द्विजश्रेष्ठ कर्त्तव्यो धनसंचयः । संचितं च धनं ब्रह्मन्दानकर्मणि विक्षिपेत् ५०। रणंति ये च कार्पण्याद्धनं ते चातिदुःखिनः । अंते सर्वधनं त्यक्वा निःस्वा गच्छंति भो मुने ५१। मानवा ये सदा दानं दत्त्वा दत्त्वा दरिद्रति । दरिद्रास्तेन विज्ञेया नरलोके महेश्वराः ५२। परलोके द्विजव्याघ्र साधुसंयमवर्जिते । निर्दये बंधुहीने च न दत्तं नोपतिष्ठते ५३। स्थिते धने नरो यो वै नाश्नाति न ददाति सः । दरिद्र इव विज्ञेयः प्रेत्य निश्वासमुत्सृजेत् ५४। तपसोऽपि वरं दानं प्रोक्तं च तत्त्वदर्शिभिः । अतो यत्नाद्द्विजश्रेष्ठ दानकर्म समाचरेत् ५५। दाता दानं न दद्याद्वै समुत्सृज्य द्विजातये । स याति निरयं घोरं सर्वजंतुभयावहम् ५६। दानं दाता प्रतिग्राही न स्मरेच्च न याचते । निरये चोभयोर्वासो यावच्चंद्र दिवाकरौ ५७। ब्रह्महत्यादि पापानि यानि वै द्विजसत्तम । तानि दानेन हन्यंते तस्माद्दानं समाचरेत् ५८। इति श्रीपाद्मेमहापुराणे ब्रह्मखंडे सूतशौनकसंवादे चतुर्विंशतितमोऽध्यायः २४।
śaunaka uvāca| viduṣāṃvara tattvajña kathayasva mahāmate | idānīṃ mama dānānāṃ māhātmyaṃ kramato mune 1| sūta uvāca| kṣitidānaṃ muniśreṣṭha dānānāmuttamaṃ matam | yena kṛtaṃ vai taddānaṃ sarvadānaphalaṃ matam 2| kṣitiṃ sasasyāṃ yo dadyādbrāhmaṇāya dvijottama | viṣṇuloke sukhaṃ bhuṃkte yāvadiṃdrāścaturdaśa 3| pṛthivyāṃ janma cāsādya sārvabhaumastato nṛpaḥ | mahīṃ sarvāṃ ciraṃ bhuktvā vrajedvai śrīharergṛham 4| gocarmamātrāṃ bhūmiṃ yaḥ prayacchati dvijātaye | sa gacchati harergehaṃ sarvapāpavivarjitaḥ 5| śataṃ gāvo vṛṣaścaiko yatra tiṣṭhaṃtyayaṃtritāḥ | gocarmamātrāṃ tāṃ bhūmiṃ pravadaṃti maharṣayaḥ 6| bhūminetā bhūmidātā dvau cāpi svargagāminau | grāhyā bhūmirdvijaiḥ prājñaistyaktvā dānaśatānyapi 7| ajñānī bhūsuro yastu tyajedbhūmiṃ vimohitaḥ | pratijanmanyasau vipro bhaveccātyaṃta duḥkhabhāk 8| anyato yaḥ samāsādya dadyādbhūmiṃ dvijātaye | tasmai vipra jagannātho dadāti paramaṃ padam 9| svadattāṃ paradattāṃ ca medinīṃ yo hareddvija | yuktaḥ koṭikulairyāti narakaṃ cātidāruṇam 10| haredyo vai mahīṃ vipra devabrāhmaṇayorapi | na dṛṣṭā niṣkṛtistasya koṭikalpaśatairmune 11| bhūmiṃ yo paradattāṃ ca rakṣati kṣmāpatirdvija | puṇyaṃ koṭiguṇaṃ syādvai tasya dānaṃ janādapi 12| saptadvīpāṃ mahīṃ dattvā yatpuṇyaṃ prāpyate dvija | tatpuṇyaṃ prāpnuyānmartyo dhenuṃ yacchandvijātaye 13| dadāti vṛṣabhaṃ yastu daridrāya kuṭuṃbine | sarvapāpavinirmukto śivalokaṃ sa gacchati 14| tilapramāṇaṃ svarṇaṃ yo brāhmaṇāya prayacchati | harerniketanaṃ yāti yuktaḥ koṭikulairapi 15| yo dadyādrajataṃ vipra sādhave bhūsurāya vai | prāpnoti caṃdralokaṃ ca pibettatrāmṛtaṃ sadā 16| pravālaṃ mauktikaṃ caiva hīrakaṃ ca maṇiṃ tathā | yo dadāti dvijaśreṣṭha svargalokaṃ sa gacchati 17| tulāpuruṣadānena yatpuṇyaṃ labhate janaḥ | śālagrāmaśilāṃ dattvā tasmātkoṭiguṇaṃ labhet 18| saptadvīpāṃ kṣitiṃ datvā saśailavanakānanām | yatpuṇyaṃ labhate tadvai śālagrāmaśilāpradaḥ 19| śālagrāmaśilāṃ yo vai dadyādbhūmisurāya ca | tena vipra pradattāni bhuvanāni caturdaśa 20| tulāpuruṣadānaṃ yaḥ karoti dvijapuṃgava | jananyāścodare tasya punarjanma na vidyate 21| sālaṃkārāṃ dvijaśreṣṭha kanyāṃ yacchati yo naraḥ | sa gacchedbrahmasadanaṃ punarjanma na vidyate 22| kanyāvikrayiṇo nāsti narakānniṣkṛtiḥ punaḥ | kanyādānakṛto nāsti svargādāgamanaṃ punaḥ 23| upānahau vātapatraṃ yo dadāti dvijātaye | pretya ceṃdrapuraṃ gatvā vasetkalpacatuṣṭayam 24| vastraṃ yacchati yo divyaṃ sādhave vai dvijāyate | svarge divyāṃbaradharaściraṃ tiṣṭheddvijottama 25| dhenuṃ purātanīṃ yacchedvastraṃ ca jaritaṃ dvija | nūtnāṃ rajovatīṃ kanyāṃ sa gacchennirayaṃ tathā 26| kanyāvikrayiṇo brahmanna paśyellapanaṃ budhaḥ | dṛṣṭvā cājñānato vāpi kuryyānmārtaṃḍa darśanam 27| phaladātā naro gacchettridivaṃ ca dvijottama | bhuṃkte kalpasahasrāṇi phalaṃ tatrāmṛtopamam 28| śākaṃ yacchati yo martyo śivasyabhavanaṃ dvija | yāti kalpadvayaṃ bhuṃkte durllabhaṃ pāyasaṃ suraiḥ 29| ghṛtado dadhidaścaiva takrado dugdhadastathā | viṣṇorniketanaṃ gatvā sudhāpānaṃ karoti saḥ 30| gaṃdhadaḥ puṣpadaścaiva martyo yāti surālayam | tiṣṭhedyugasahasrāṇi gaṃdhapuṣpavibhūṣitaḥ 31| śayyādānaṃ dānasāraṃ brāhmaṇāya dadāti yaḥ | sa yāti brahmasadanaṃ paryyaṃke śerate ciram 32| pīṭhadātā dīpadātā sarvaduṣkṛtavarjitaḥ | svarge siṃhāsane tiṣṭhejjvaladdīpāvalīvṛtaḥ 33| tāṃbūlaṃ yo naro dadyādbhūmiṃ bhuṃkte'khilāṃ sukham | svarge devāṃganākroḍe suptastāṃbūlamatti vai 34| vidyādānaṃ dānavaraṃ karoti yo narottamaḥ | pretya sa sannidhiṃ viṣṇostiṣṭhedyugaśatatrayam 35| prāpya jñānaṃ tatastatra durllabhaṃ vai dvijarṣabha | durllabhaṃ mokṣamāpnoti śrīhareḥ kṛpayā dvija 36| anāthaṃ duḥkhitaṃ vipraṃ pāṭhayedvai narottamaḥ | śrīharerbhavanaṃ yāti punarjanmavivarjitaḥ 37| yo naraḥ pustakaṃ dadyādbhaktiśraddhāsamanvitaḥ | prativarṇaṃ labhetpuṇyaṃ kapilākoṭidānajam 38| madhudo guḍadaścaiva martyo yātīkṣusāgaram | lavaṇaprado naro yāti vāruṇaṃ lokameva ca 39| sarveṣāmeva dānānāmannaṃ vāri dvijottama | tattvajñairmunibhiḥ sarvaiḥ pravaraṃ vai prakīrttitam 40| annaṃ vāri dvijaśreṣṭha yena dattaṃ mahītale | tena dattāni dānāni sarvāṇi ca dvijarṣabha 41| annado yo naro vipra prāṇadaśca prakīrttitaḥ | tasmātsamastadānānāmannado labhate phalam 42| yathācānnaṃ tathā vāri dve tulye ca prakīrttite | vāriṇā ca vinā cānnaṃ siddhaṃ na syāddvijottama 43| kṣudhā tṛṣā dvija vyāghra dve ca tulye prakīrttite | ataścānnaṃ ca toyaṃ ca śreṣṭhaṃ proktaṃ budhairapi 44| annadānaṃ kṣitau brahmanye kurvaṃti narottamāḥ | sarvapāpavinirmuktā gacchaṃti harimaṃdiram 45| yāvaṃtyannāni bho vipra yacchati kṣitimaṃḍale | brahmahatyāśca tāvaṃtyo naśyaṃtyeva tapodhana 46| yacchatāṃ cānnadānāni śarīrāṇi ca pātakam | gātrāṇi gṛhṇatāṃ tyaktvā sahasā yāṃti śaunaka 47| ataḥ pāpiṣṭha cānnāni na gṛhṇaṃti manīṣiṇaḥ | gṛhṇaṃti mohādye mūḍhā bhavaṃti pāpabhāginaḥ 48| kuryādbhūmiṣṭhamudakaṃ caikaṃ bho dvijasattama | sarvapāpairvinirmukto vrajetsa harimaṃdiram 49| prayatnena dvijaśreṣṭha karttavyo dhanasaṃcayaḥ | saṃcitaṃ ca dhanaṃ brahmandānakarmaṇi vikṣipet 50| raṇaṃti ye ca kārpaṇyāddhanaṃ te cātiduḥkhinaḥ | aṃte sarvadhanaṃ tyakvā niḥsvā gacchaṃti bho mune 51| mānavā ye sadā dānaṃ dattvā dattvā daridrati | daridrāstena vijñeyā naraloke maheśvarāḥ 52| paraloke dvijavyāghra sādhusaṃyamavarjite | nirdaye baṃdhuhīne ca na dattaṃ nopatiṣṭhate 53| sthite dhane naro yo vai nāśnāti na dadāti saḥ | daridra iva vijñeyaḥ pretya niśvāsamutsṛjet 54| tapaso'pi varaṃ dānaṃ proktaṃ ca tattvadarśibhiḥ | ato yatnāddvijaśreṣṭha dānakarma samācaret 55| dātā dānaṃ na dadyādvai samutsṛjya dvijātaye | sa yāti nirayaṃ ghoraṃ sarvajaṃtubhayāvaham 56| dānaṃ dātā pratigrāhī na smarecca na yācate | niraye cobhayorvāso yāvaccaṃdra divākarau 57| brahmahatyādi pāpāni yāni vai dvijasattama | tāni dānena hanyaṃte tasmāddānaṃ samācaret 58| iti śrīpādmemahāpurāṇe brahmakhaṃḍe sūtaśaunakasaṃvāde caturviṃśatitamo'dhyāyaḥ 24|
English translation
Śaunaka said :
1. O sage, O best among the learned, O you who know the essential nature (of things), tell me in order the importance of vows.
Sūta said :
2-6. O best sage, giving (a piece of) land is regarded as the best gift. He who made that gift (has given) a gift having the fruit of all gifts. O best brāhmaṇa , he who would give a gift of land with a crop (growing in it) to a brāhmaṇa, enjoys happiness in Viṣṇu ’s heaven as long as (the regimes of) fourteen Indras (last). Then, O king, he, having obtained a birth on the earth, (becomes) a sovereign emperor. Having enjoyed the earth for a long time, he would go to the abode of Viṣṇu. He who gives land of the measure of a cow’s hide to a brāhmaṇa, is freed from all sins and goes to Viṣṇu’s abode. The sages described that land to be of the measure of a cow’s hide ( gocarmamātra ) where a hundred cows and a bull remain uncontrolled.
7-10. He who receives the land and he who gives it, both go to heaven. Wise brāhmaṇas should abandon (i.e. refuse) hundreds of other gifts and accept (the present of) land. That ignorant brāhmaṇa who, being deluded, rejects (the gift) of land, becomes extremely miserable in every existence. To him who, having secured land from some other source, would give it to a brāḥmaṇa, the lord of the world gives the highest position. He who destroys the land given to himself or to someone else, goes, along with a crore members of his family to a very fearful hell, O brāhmaṇa.
11-12. O brāhmaṇa, for him who would snatch the land of a deity or a brāhmaṇa, an expiation is not seen for hundreds of crores of kalpas . The religious merit of that king who protects the land given (by him) to someone else would be a crore times greater than that of people.
13-17. A man giving a cow would obtain that merit which is obtained by giving the earth consisting of seven islands, O brāhmaṇa. He, who gives a bull to a member of a poor family, is freed from all sins, and goes to Śiva ’s world. He who gives gold of the measure of a sesamum to a brāhmaṇa, goes, along with a crore members of his family, to the abode of Viṣṇu. O brāhmaṇa, he who would give silver to a good brāhmaṇa, obtains (i.e. goes to) the world of the Moon and he would always drink nectar there. O best brāhmaṇa, he who gives a coral, a pearl, a diamond or a gem (to a brāhmaṇa) goes to heaven.
18-25. A man would get a crore times more religious merit by giving a śālagrāma stone, than what he obtains by the gift of gold, jewels, or other valuable things equal to his own weight. The giver of a śālagrāma stone gets that religious merit which a man would get by giving the earth consisting of seven islands along with mountains, groves and forests. O brāhmaṇa, he who would give a śālagrāma stone to a brāhmaṇa, has given the fourteen worlds (to a brāhmaṇa). O best brāhmaṇa, he who makes a gift of gold, jewels or other valuable things equal to his own weight (to a brāhmaṇa), is not again born in (i.e. from) the womb of a mother. O best brāhmaṇa, he who gives (in marriage) his daughter that is adorned (with ornaments to a brāhmaṇa), would go to Brahmā ’s abode. He is not reborn. For a man who sells his daughter, there is no escape from hell; and for one who gives his daughter (in marriage according to the proper rites) there is no coming (back to earth) from heaven. He, who gives sandals or an umbrella to a brāhmaṇa, goes to Indra ’s city after death, and would live (there) for four kalpas. O best brāhmaṇa, he who gives a divine garment to a good brāhmaṇa, puts on a divine garment and would live in heaven for a long time.
26-27. O brāhmaṇa, he who would give an old cow or an old garment or a young girl in her menses, would go to hell. O brāhmaṇa, a man should not see the face of him who sells his daughter. Having seen (i.e. if he sees) it unknowingly, he should look at the sun.
28-58. O best brāhmaṇa, a man who gives (the gift of) fruits would go to heaven. There he would enjoy for thousands of kalpas the fruit (of his gift) like nectar. O brāhmaṇa, the man who gives vegetables (to a brāhmaṇa) goes to Śiva’s abode; and (there) enjoys, with gods, rice boiled in milk for a couple of kalpas. He who gives ghee , he who gives curd, he who gives milk, he who gives butter milk, goes to Viṣṇu’s abode (and there) he drinks nectar. The man who gives sandal, who gives flowers goes to the abode of gods. Decorated with sandal and flowers, he would remain (there) for thousands of yugas . He who gives the gift of a bed—the best gift—to a brāhmaṇa, goes to Brahmā’s abode, and sleeps (there) on a bed for a long time. The giver of a seat or the giver of a lamp, being free from all sins, would remain, surrounded by a row of burning lamps, on a seat in heaven. A man who would give betel-leaf, happily enjoys the entire earth. He sleeps, being clasped to the bosom by a divine lady, and eats tāmbūla . The best man who makes the gift of knowledge—the best gift—would, after death, live near Viṣṇu for three hundred yugas. O best brāhmaṇa, having obtained there knowledge difficult to be obtained, he, O brāhmaṇa, obtains salvation through Viṣṇu’s grace. That best brāhmaṇa who would teach a helpless, miserable brāhmaṇa, goes, free from rebirth, to Śrī Viṣṇu’s abode. One who would devoutly and with faith give (the gift of) a book would obtain, for every letter, the merit due to the gift of a crore of tawny cows. One who gives honey, who gives jaggery, goes to the Ikṣu - sāgara . One who gives salt, goes to the world of Varuṇa . O best brāhmaṇa, of all the gifts, the gift of food or water is declared to be the best by all sages knowing the truth. O best brāhmaṇa, he who has given food or water on the earth, has given all (kinds of) gifts, O best among brāhmaṇas. O brāhmaṇa, one who gives food is declared to be the giver (i.e. the saver) of life. Therefore, the giver of food gets the fruit of all (kinds of) gifts. As is food, so is water. The two are said to be equal. O best brāhmaṇa, food would not be prepared without water. O best brāhmaṇa, the two i.e. hunger and thirst are declared to be equal. Therefore, even the wise have declared food and water to be the best. O brāhmaṇa, those best men who make the gift of food on the earth, are freed from all sins, and go to Viṣṇu’s abode. O brāhmaṇa ascetic, as many (sins of) brāhmaṇa murders, as the kinds of food a man gives on the earth, perish. O Śaunaka , the sins of those that give food abandon their bodies and go to the bodies of those that receive it. Therefore the wise do not accept the food of the most sinful one. The fools that accept it through delusion, become sinful. O best brāhmaṇa, one should make water remain on the ground (after it flows from the palm of the brāhmaṇa to whom a gift is given). He (who offers a gift) is freed from all sins, and would go to Viṣṇu’s abode. O best brāhmaṇa, wealth should be accumulated with effort. A man should spend the accumulated wealth in giving gifts. Those who through miserliness tinkle (i.e. only preserve) their wealth, are extremely unhappy. O sage, in the end, leaving the wealth, they go (i.e. die) wealthless. Those men who by repeatedly giving (gifts) become poor, should not be regarded as poor. They are great lords in the human world. O best brāhmaṇa that which is given to a cruel, relative-less (brāhmaṇa) who does not have proper restraint, does not stand by (the giver) in the other world. One who, when he has wealth, does not (either) enjoy it or give it (to others) should be known as poor, and would leave a sigh (of grief) after death. Those who see the truth have declared that giving gifts is superior even to austerities. Therefore, O best brāhmaṇa, one should give gifts. That giver who gives gifts (to persons of other castes) excluding a brahmaṇa , goes to a terrible hell, which is fearful to all beings. The giver who does not remember the gift and the recipient who does not ask for it, both remain in hell as long as the moon and the sun last. O best brāhmaṇa, those sins like a brāhmaṇa’s murder perish due to giving gifts. Therefore, one should give gifts.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 14938, revision 335812 (2022-04-15T09:02:51Z). English is N. A. Deshpande’s complete translation, controlled against its chapter page at https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-padma-purana/d/doc365308.html and the ten-volume archival witness. The witnesses are aligned at chapter level; no unsupported verse-by-verse equivalence is asserted.