A man who giveth
everyone his due, and the bestower of boons, attain happiness, and come
by every object of enjoyment; while a man free from envy reapeth perfect
ease. He that honoureth those to whom honour is due, attaineth birth in
an illustrious line; and he that hath subdued his senses, never cometh
by misfortune. A man whose mind followeth good, after having paid his
debt to nature, is on this account, born again endued with a righteous
mind.'
"Yudhishthira said, 'O eminently virtuous one, O mighty sage, of the
bestowal of gifts and the observance of asceticism, which is of greater
efficacy in the next world, and which, harder of practice?'
"Vyasa said, 'There is nothing, O child, in this world harder to
practise than charity. Men greatly thirst after wealth, and wealth also
is gotten with difficulty. Nay, renouncing even dear life itself, heroic
men, O magnanimous one, enter into the depths of the sea and the forest
for the sake of wealth. For wealth, some betake themselves to
agriculture and the tending of kine, and some enter into servitude.
Therefore, it is extremely difficult to part with wealth that is
obtained with such trouble. Since nothing is harder to practise than
charity, therefore, in my opinion, even the bestowal of boons is
superior to everything. Specially is this to be borne in mind that
well-earned gains should, in proper time and place, be given away to
pious men. But the bestowal of ill-gotten gains can never rescue the
giver from the evil of rebirth.
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