wicked person and never succeeds in winning any felicity in
heaven. A Brahmana conversant with the Vedas should never speak of his
energy and knowledge to the king. (It is the duty of the king to
ascertain it himself.) Comparing again the energy of a Brahmana with that
of the king, the former will always be found to be superior to the
latter. For this reason the energy of the Brahmanas can scarcely be borne
or resisted by a king. The Brahmana is said to be creator, ruler,
ordainer, and god. No word of abuse, no dry speeches, should be addressed
to a Brahmana. The Kshatriya should cross all his difficulties by the aid
of the might of his arms. The Vaisya and the Sudra should conquer their
difficulties by wealth; the Brahmana should do so by Mantras and homa.
None of these, viz., a maiden, a youthful woman, a person unacquainted
with mantras, an ignorant guy, or one that is impure, is competent to
pour libations on the sacrificial fire. If any of these do so, he or she
is sure to fall into hell, with him for whom they act. For this reason,
none but a Brahmana, conversant with the Vedas and skilled in all
sacrifices should become the pourer of sacrificial libations. They who
are conversant with the scriptures say that the man who, having kindled
the sacrificial fire, does not give away the dedicated food as Dakshina,
is not the kindler of a sacrificial fire. A person should, with his
senses under control, and with proper devotion, do all the acts of merit
(indicated in the scriptures). One should never worship the deities in
sacrifices in which no Dakshina is given. A sacrifice not completed with
Dakshina, (instead of producing merit) brings about the destruction of
one's children, animals, and heaven. Such a sacrifice destroys also the
senses, the fame, the achievements and the very span of life, that one
has. Those Brahmanas that lie with women in their season, or who never
perform sacrifices, or whose families have no members conversant with the
Vedas, are regarded as Sudras in act. That Brahmana who, having married a
Sudra girl, resides for twelve continuous years in a village has only a
well for its water supply, becomes a Sudra in act. That Brahmana who
summons to his bed an unmarried maiden, or suffers a Sudra, thinking him
worthy of respect, to sit upon the same carpet with him, should sit on a
bed of dry grass behind some Kshatriya or Vaisya and give him respect in
that fashion.[475] It is in this manner that he can