the deities duly, food should be first
dedicated to them. It has been said, O king, that the kind of food that
is taken by particular men is taken also by the deities those men
worship.[345] That man who makes a gift of food in the bright fortnight
of the month of Kartika, succeeds in crossing every difficulty here and
attains to inexhaustible felicity hereafter. That man who makes a gift of
food unto a hungry guest arrived at his abode, attains to all those
regions, O chief of Bharata's race, that are reserved for persons
acquainted with Brahma. The man who makes gifts of food is sure to cross
every difficulty and distress. Such a person comes over every sin and
cleanses himself of every evil act. I have thus discoursed to thee upon
the merits of making gifts of food, of sesame, of earth, and of kine."'"

SECTION LXVII

"'Yudhishthira said, "I have heard, O sire, of the merits of the different
kinds of gift upon which thou hast discoursed to me. I understand, O
Bharata, that the gift of food is especially laudable and superior. What
however, are the great merits of making gifts of drink. I desire to hear
of this in detail, O grandsire!"

"'Bhishma said, "I shall, O chief of Bharata's race, discourse to thee
upon this subject. Listen to me, O thou of unbaffled prowess, as I speak
to thee. I shall, O sinless one, discourse unto thee of gifts beginning
with that of drink. The merit that a man acquires by making gifts of food
and drink is such that the like of it, I think, is incapable of being
acquired through any other gift. There is no gift, therefore, that is
superior to that of either food or drink. It is by food that all living
creatures are able to exist. For this reason, food is regarded as a very
superior object in all the worlds. From food the strength and energy of
living creatures constantly increases. Hence, the lord of all creatures
has himself said that the gift of food is a very superior gift. Thou hast
heard, O son of Kunti, what the auspicious words are of Savitri herself
(on the subject of the gift of food). Thou knowest for what reason those
words were said, what those words were, and how they were said in course
of the sacred Mantras, O thou of great intelligence. A man, by making a
gift of food, really makes a gift of life itself. There is no gift in
this world that is superior to the gift of life. Thou art not
unacquainted with this saying of Lomasa, O thou of mighty arms! The end
that was att