e shamelessly. Their cooks no longer
professed any consideration for purity of mind, deed, and word. They ate
what had been left uncovered. Their corn lay scattered in yards, exposed
to devastation by crows and rats. Their milk remained exposed, and they
began to touch clarified butter with hands unwashed after eating.[861]
Their spades, domestic knives, baskets, and dishes and cups of white
brass, and other utensils began to lie scattered in their houses. Their
housewives abstained from looking after these. They no longer attained to
the repairs of their houses and walls. Tethering their animals they
abstained from giving them food and drink.[862] Disregarding children
that only looked on, and without having fed their dependants, the Danavas
ate what they had. They began to prepare payasa and krisara and dishes of
meat and cakes and sashkuli (not for gods and guests) but for their own
slaves, and commenced to eat the flesh of animals not killed in
sacrifices.[863] They used to sleep even after the sun had risen. They
made night of their morns. Day and night disputes and quarrels waxed in
every house of theirs. They that were not respectable amongst them no
longer showed any respect for those that deserve respect while the latter
were seated in any place. Fallen off from their defined duties, they
ceased to reverence those that had betaken themselves to the woods for
leading a life of peace and divine contemplation. Intermixture of castes
freely commenced among them. They ceased to attend to purity of person or
mind. Brahmanas learned in the Vedas ceased to command respect among
them. Those again that were ignorant of Richs were not condemned or
punished. Both were treated on a footing of equality, those, that is,
that deserved respect and those that deserved no respect. Their servant
girls became wicked in behaviour, and began to wear necklaces of gold and
other ornaments and fine robes, and used to remain in their houses or go
away before their very eyes. They began to derive great pleasure from
sports and diversions in which their women were dressed as men and their
men as women. Those amongst their ancestors that were affluent had made
gifts of wealth unto deserving persons. The descendants of the donors,
even when in prosperous conditions, began to resume, for their unbelief,
those gifts. When difficulties threatened the accomplishment of any
purpose and friend sought the counsel of friend, that purpose was
frustrate