1185.  What is said here is this:  the sacrifices of some men become lost through absence of faith.  These men, it is plain, are not worthy of performing any kind of sacrifice internal or external.  The performance of sacrifice, however, is easy.  The cow and her products can minister to all sacrifices.  In the case of those that are able, full libations of clarified butter, of milk, and of curds, are sufficient to enable them to perform whatever sacrifice they wish.  As regards those that are poor, the dust of a cow’s hoof and the water in which a cow’s tail and horns have been washed, are quite sufficient to enable them to perform their sacrifices.  Purnahuti should not, I think, be taken as different from clarified butter, etc.

1186.  All these verses are exceedingly terse.  Anena vidhina is the mode which the speaker himself advocates, viz., the performance of sacrifices without slaughter of animals.  Niyojayan is an instance hetau satri.  After prakaroti Sraddham is understood.  Ishtam here means Yagam.  Yajunam (as in verse 35 above) is Brahma.

1187.  The soul is itself a tirtha.  A tirtha, of course, is a spot containing sacred water.  One should seek the acquisition of merit in the soul instead of going to places called sacred and lying in different parts of the earth.  ‘According to his own ability’ means ’according to the best of his power.’  If one can perform a sacrifice with clarified butter, one should not do it with the dust of a cow’s hoofs.

1188.  Dharmasya vachanat kila is explained by the commentator as Dharmasya ahinsatmakasya samvandhino vachanat.  I think the words may also mean, ‘obeying the voice of Dharma.’

1189.  The two negatives in the second line amount to an affirmative assertion.

1190.  Vaivaswati is ‘appertaining to Vivaswat or prakasarapachidatma’, hence ’Brahma-vishayini.  ‘Daughter of Surya’ means Sattwiki.  Faith is vahirvangamanasi, i.e., is ‘the outward form of speech and mind,’ implying that it ’transcends (the merit born of) speech (recitation) and mind (meditation).’

1191.  ‘Defects of speech’ are the incorrect utterance of mantras.  ‘Defects of mind’ are such as listlessness, haste, etc.

1192.  Kadarya is explained by the commentator as ‘miserly.’  I think it may be taken also in a more extended sense.  Then again vardhushi is a usurer and not necessarily a dealer in corn.

1193.  The commentator is entirely silent upon this verse.  The two Bengali versions have proceeded in two different ways.  The four classes of persons indicated in the previous verses are (1) he that is destitute of faith but is (outwardly) pure, (2) he that has faith but is not (outwardly) pure, (3) a miserly person possessed of learning, and (4) a usurer endued with liberality.  The answer of Brahman, without touching other points, refers particularly to faith.  The liberal man’s food is sanctified by faith.  The food of him that has no faith is lost.  For this reason, the liberal man’s food, even if he happens to be a usurer, is worthy of acceptance, and not so the food of the miser even though he may be possessed of Vedic lore.