CHAPTER THE FIFTH.

On Diet, Purification, and Women.

I. THE fages, having heard those laws 'delivered for the conduct of housekeepers, thus addreffed the highminded BHRIGU, who pro'ceeded in a former birth from the genius of • fire.

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2. How, Lord, can death prevail over Brábmens, who know the fcriptural ordinances, ' and perform their duties, as they have been de'clared?'

3. Then he, whofe difpofition was perfect virtue, even BHRIGU, the fon of MENU, thus ' answered the great Rifbis: Hear, from what 'fin proceeds the inclination of death, to destroy the chief of the twice-born:

4. Through a neglect of reading the Véda, through a desertion of approved usages, through supine remissness in performing holy ritės, and

through various offences in diet, the genius of ' death becomes cager to destroy them.

5. Garlick, onions, leeks, and mushrooms

(which no twice-born man must eat), and all ' vegetables raised in dung,

6. Red gums or refins, exuding from trees, and juices from wounded ftems, the fruit félu, and the thickened milk of a cow within ten

days after her calving, a priest must avoid with great care.

7. Ricepudding boiled with tila, frumenty, ricemilk, and baked bread, which have not been firft offered to fome deity, flefhmeat alfo, 'the food of gods, and clarified butter, which have not firft been touched, while holy texts • were recited,

8. Fresh milk from a cow, whofe ten days are not paffed, the milk of a camel, or any quadruped with a hoof not cloven, that of an ewe, ⚫ and that of a cow in heat, or whofe calf is dead " or abfent from her,

9. 'That of any forest beast, except the buffalo, the milk of a woman, and any thing naturally fweet but acidulated, muft all be carefully shunned:

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10. But among fuch acids, buttermilk may

⚫ be swallowed, and every preparation of buttermilk, and all acids extracted from

roots, or fruit not cut with iron.

II.

pure flowers,

• Let every twice-born man avoid carnivorous birds, and fuch as live in towns, and

quadrupeds with uncloven hoofs, except thofe

'allowed by the Véda, and the bird called tit

• tibba;

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12. The fparrow, the water bird plava, the 'phenicopteros, the chacrapáca, the breed of the towncock, the fárafa, the rajjuvála, the wood'pecker, and the parrot, male and female;

13. ' Birds, that ftrike with their beaks, web'footed birds, the coyafbti, thofe, who wound " with ftrong talons, and thofe, who dive to devour fifh: let him avoid meat kept at a flaughter houfe, and dried meat,

14. 'The heron, the raven, the c'banjana, all 'amphibious fifheaters, tame hogs, and fish of every fort, but thofe exprefsly permitted.

15. He, who eats the flesh of any animal, is

' called the eater of that animal itself; and a fisheater is an eater of all flesh; from fifh, there'fore, he must diligently abstain:

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16. Yet the two fifh, called páťhina and róbita, may be eaten by the guests, when offered

at a repaft in honour of the gods or the manes; and fo may the rájiva, the finbatunda, and the Jas'alca of every species.

17. 'Let him not eat the flesh of any folitary animals, nor of unknown beasts or birds, though by general words declared eatable, nor of any creature with five claws;

18. The hedgehog and porcupine, the lizard

'gódbá, the gandaca, the tortoife, and the rabbit

or bare, wife legiflators declare lawful food among fivetoed animals; and all quadrupeds, 'camels excepted, which have but one row of 'teeth.

19. The twiceborn man, who has inten'tionally eaten a mushroom, the flesh of a tame hog, or a town cock, a leek, or an onion, or 'garlick, is degraded immediately;

penance

But having undefignedly tafted either of thofe fix things, he must perform the fántapana, or the chándrayana, which anchorets practise: for other things he must fast a whole

• day.

21. One of those harsh penances, called prá'japatya, the twice-born man must perform annually, to purify him from the unknown taint ⚫ of illicit food; but he muft do particular penance ⚫ for fuch food intentionally eaten.

22. BEASTS and birds of excellent forts may be flain by Bráhmens for facrifice, or for the ' sustenance of those, whom they are bound to fupport; fince AGASTYA did this of old.

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23. 'No doubt, in the primeval facrifices by holy men, and in oblations by those of the prieftly and military tribes, the flesh of fuch beafts and birds, as may be legally eaten, was prefented to the deities.

24. That, which may be eaten or drunk, when fresh, without blame, may be swallowed,

if touched with oil, though it has been kept a 'whole night; and fo may the remains of cla'rified butter:

25. • And every mess prepared with barley or ' wheat, or with dreffed milk, may be eaten by 'the twiceborn, although not sprinkled with • oil.

26. Thus has the food, allowed or forbidden to a twiceborn man, been comprehensively ⚫ mentioned: I will now propound the Special rules for eating and for avoiding flesh meat.

27. 'He should taste meat, which has been hallowed for a facrifice with appropriated texts, and, once only, when a priest shall defire him, and when he is performing a legal act, or in danger of lofing life.

28. For the fuftenance of the vital fpirit, 'BRAHMA' created all this animal and vegetable fyftem; and all, that is moveable or immoveable, ' that spirit devours.

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29. 'Things fixed are eaten by creatures with locomotion; toothlefs animals, by animals with teeth; those without hands, by those to whom 'hands were given; and the timid, by the bold.

30. 'He, who eats according to law, commits no fin, even though every day he taste the flesh ' of fuch animals, as may lawfully be tafted; fince both animals, who may be eaten, and