and her young one together.  And, O Bharata, he that having accepted a thing in gift giveth it away immediately unto a person that is virtuous and honest, reapeth very great merit.  Without doubt, he reapeth the fruit of giving away the whole earth to her utmost limits and with her oceans and seas and caves, her mountains and forests and woods.  That Brahmana who eateth in silence from a plate, keeping his hands between his knees, succeedeth in rescuing others.  And those Brahmanas that abstain from drink and who are never spoken of by others as having any faults and who daily read the Samhitas, are capable of rescuing others.  Libations of butter and edible offerings should all be presented to a Brahmana who is learned in the Vedas.  And as libations of clarified butter poured into fire never go in vain, so gift to virtuous Brahmanas learned in the Vedas can never go in vain.  The Brahmanas have anger for their weapon; they never fight with arms of iron and steel.  Indeed the Brahmanas slay with anger like Indra slaying the Asuras with his thunder-bolt.

Thus prelection appertaining to virtue and morality is now over.  Hearing this, the Munis of the forest of Naimisha were filled with delight.  And those ascetics were also freed from grief and anger by listening to it.  And they were also purged of all their sins in consequence of this.  And, O king, those human beings that listen to it become freed from the obligation of rebirth.’

“Yudhishthira said, ’O thou of great wisdom, what purification is there by which a Brahmana may always keep himself pure?  I desire to hear of it from thee, O thou foremost of all virtuous men!”

“Markandeya answered, ’There are three kinds of purity, viz., purity in speech, purity in deed, and purity achieved by use of water.  He that has recourse to these three different kinds of purity, attains, without doubt, to heaven.  That Brahmana who adoreth the goddess Sandhya in the morning and the evening, and who recites meditatively the sacred goddess Gayatri who is the mother of the Vedas, sanctified by the latter, is freed from all his sins.  Even if he accepts in gift the entire earth with her oceans, he doth not, on that account, suffer the least unhappiness.  And those heavenly bodies in the sky including the sun that may be inauspicious and hostile towards him soon become auspicious and favourable towards him in consequence of these acts of his, while those stars that are auspicious and favourable become more auspicious and more favourable in consequence of such conduct of his.  And terrible Rakshasas subsisting on animal food, or gigantic and fierce mien, all become unable to prevail over a Brahmana who practiseth these purifications.  The Brahmanas are even like blazing fires.  They incur no fault in consequence of teaching, of officiating at sacrifices, and of accepting gifts from others.  Whether the Brahmana be cognisant of the Vedas or ignorant of them, whether they be pure or impure, they should never