* Special description of about agricultural work for earning livelihood by Grihastha in Kaliyug. * Care of the cattle like cow-bullock used in agricultural activity. * Education about agriculture as to which seed should be sowed when.
Suvrat said:-
Special description of about agricultural work for earning livelihood by Grihastha in Kaliyug.
‘O king! After hearing the speech of Hari, a doubt arose in the mind of a Brahmin and he politely asked again. 1.
Brahmin said:-
‘O Lord! You said previously that, agriculture is prohibited for Brahmin and now you say that it is allowed for him. Hence there is confusion in my mind. Please uproot it. 2.
Shri Narayan Muni said:-
O Brahmin!, no doubt agriculture is prohibited for a Brahmin, however if he has no other means for his livelihood, then it is advised in present times. 3.
The Shilonchha livelihood is not at all possible to be practiced, in the Kali-yuga. People have no interest on sacrifice etc., and no rich man is interested in studies as well. There is no pious donor also in this world. Hence agriculture is scripturally allowed, as per the opinion of Parashara sage. 4 - 5.
According to me, it is better for a Brahmin, to practice agriculture than to accept the livelihood prescribed for a shudra or accepting donation from a low caste man. 6.
With the help of the grain obtained from agriculture, he should worship God, ancestors and Brahmins. Being pleased, they certainly wash away his sins. 7.
An farmer who would offer a twentieth portion (of the produce) to Gods and ancestors, and a thirtieth portion of it to Brahmins, would not get sin. 8.
A Brahmin may do agriculture without abandoning his daily six duties: a Ksatriya should also do so when he is in calamity. 9.
Care of the cattle like cow-bullock used in agricultural activity.
He should not yoke crippled, weak, tired, sick, hungry, emaciated, old and blind bullocks for agriculture. 10.
The Brahmin should use strong, healthy, well-fed, non-sterile, well-nourished, proud bullocks which are full of energy.11.
He should make them work for first half of the day. After that he should take bath etc., He should also make the plough, the yoke, and the whip, according to proportions as prescribed in the agricultural science. 12.
Nothing should be made either less or more in proportion. Similarly he should never beat the bullocks, mercilessly with anger. 13.
A twice-born, should not at any cost manufacture plough from the wood of Kshir-tree (Fig, Banyan, Nyagrodha and Madhuk), Bilva or Neem. If he does so, he has to face poverty. 14.
In this world, the domestic affairs of a Brahmin householder is fulfilled with the help of cows and bullocks. Hence he should keep and guard them carefully. 15.
Cows grazing on grass in the forest give milk every day. Therefore cows pleasing God should always be worshipped with oblations (fodder) by men. 16.
The Gods reside in the pious body-limbs of the cows. Hence a householder should protect the cows at home. 17.
A cow which does not have a calf, has miscarriage during pregnancy, is diseased or has delivered a twin should not be milked. Also, a cow is not to be milked for ten days after delivery. 18.
Brahmins should bind cows facing, south or north and not facing east or west. Bullocks are also not to be tied facing either east or west. 19.
A very sharp edged iron sickle or iron knife should always be kept in the cow-pan, the bullock-shed and the stable of horses, to cut off the bindings of animals (at the time of sudden calamity). 20.
He who worships cows devotedly, salutes and feeds them, obtains instantly the fruits of Ashvamedha sacrifices etc. 21.
Those (sinners) who beat them and shout at them are cooked in the fire of hell for one crore years. 22.
Seers have said that guarding the bullocks gives ten times more merit than guarding the cows. 23.
By castrating a bullock, the Brahmin is thrown out of caste and he is to be ex-communicated as a Chandala from the activities related to Gods and ancestors. 24.
The bullocks produce crops, crush them and then carry the grain home. Thus, they please the people. Hence they are worthy of worshipping. 25.
Though exhausted by over burdening, they do not complain in front of their master and they feed themselves on dry grass and straw. 26.
Such bullocks which cause prosperity to people are to be carefully guarded and nourished. 27.
The householder who does not feed the cattle tied at home, from time to time, with grass, water etc., would fall into the hells of Raurava etc. 28.
He, who is unable to look after the cattle, should himself handover them to a rich person and should go to forest and observe penance. He should not trouble the cattle for any reason. 29.
Knowing this ethical code, he should feed the bullocks and look after them. He should sow all types of seeds. One who sows all type of seeds does not incur any loss. 30.
Education about agriculture as to which seed should be sowed when.
Knowing the proper place and time for sowing from the religious codes, paddy, sugarcane, Jute, cotton, egg-plant, etc. should be planted. 31.
The farmer who is a dense seed sower, advance seed sower, who nourishes bullocks, who collects seeds and who goes to the field every morning – never perishes. 32.
The farmer, who is farming for the first time, should do it on an auspicious day and avoid inauspicious conjunction of planets according to scriptural rules. 33.
Having fixed the furrow and remembering sage Parashara, he should worship it (the instrument) with curds, Durva-blades, unbroken rice, flowers and leaves of Shami. 34.
He should circumambulate the furrow after offering it eatables. Thereafter, the householder should offer prayer items to the chief of field guards. 35.
He should then worship his bullocks (whose horns are painted red) with vermillion, unbroken rice, flowers, and floral garlands; and yoke them to the plough. 36.
After rubbing the tip of the plough with gold or silver, and having recited the following mantra, he should begin the ploughing of the field; ‘O Site (furrow)! O Kumari (maiden)! O Soumye (gentle one)! O Goddess! Thou art worshipped by Gods for prosperity. Just as the son of sage Shakti succeeded in obtaining prosperity, similarly grant me success. 37-38.
This is the procedure for sowing, reaping, carrying the grains to the threshing floor and taking it home in a cart. 39.
He should drag the plough carefully and respectfully so as to Guardthe bullocks. By yoking them, if he does not take adequate care of them, he is sure to fall into Kumbhi-paka hell. 40.
According to the order of Hari, Brahma created bullocks for the sake of food grains. All the three worlds, along with moving and non-moving entities, subsist on food. 41.
Therefore, pulling of the plough should be done by the Brahmins, with the well- guarded bullocks only and yoking the plough, should be done following the duly-prescribed procedures. 42.
Agricultural activity does not turn into success without remembering the name of the son of Shakti, without installation of a plough and without sprinkling protective water. 43.
The man, willing to do agriculture, should not plough the boundary-line, cemetery, land covered with shadow of trees and the land where a sacrificial post is fixed. 44.
He should not try to cultivate a barren land with saline soil, the one with stony soil, an un-donated land as well as the land on the sandy bank of a river. 45.
If any Brahmin cultivates any of such land out of enmity or greed, he undoubtedly falls into dreadful dark hell. 46.
One who deprives even a finger unit width of land belonging to someone else commits sin and as a result of that, he goes to Rourava hell. 47.
He should not cultivate, at the closest and farthest point, nor should he cultivate near the roads. If someone does it, he will have to face difficulty. 48.
The householder should cultivate the land which is rich, smooth, soft, auspicious, low, and suitable for retaining water. 49.
A big and strong fencing should be made around the field so as to prevent animals, deer etc. to enter from anywhere. 50.
Properly taking into consideration the qualities of the soil, seeds, the seeds should be sowed at suitable places and time, so that the plough holder will be engaged all the time. 51.
The householder should not do the work of ploughing on a no-moon day. If he does so, he makes the ancestors to fall into hell and he himself falls into hell. 52.
The farmer is born to do good to all the creatures for the success of all types of sacrifices and for the prosperity of the King’s treasury. 53.
Therefore, a Brahmin should give fistful of food for satisfying the hunger of creatures and a fistful food for pacificying (the deities) for the faults incurred during agriculture. 54.
The farmer is freed from so many sins in the proportion of the food particles the animals eat. 55.
By virtue of donation, the farmer is freed from the faults incurred while practising agriculture. When the crops are brought to the threshing floor, he should perform Sita sacrifice. 56.
He should prepare a very strong fencing around the threshing land having a single entry so that it will be well-protected and difficult for donkeys and camels to enter. 57.
Remembering sage Parashara, the presiding Goddess of agriculture should be adored at three junctures of the day (morning, noon, and evening). Water should be sprinkled over the crops and it should be protected by sacred ashes. 58.
The householder should not utter the names of ghosts etc., at the threshing floor. It (the floor) should be protected on all sides just like a maternity home. 59.
During the first-half of a very auspicious day, weighing of grain should be planned and during the rise of Rohini constellation a sacrifice should be performed at the threshing floor by offering grains from the threshing floor in alms. 60.
He should offer food, by addressing the Gods led by Indra etc., to the ancestors who drink Somarasa and to human beings like Sanaka etc. 61.
Whatever is donated at the threshing floor, at the time of sacrifice, marriage, solstice, eclipse, birth of a son and at an astronomical conjunction becomes imperishable. 62.
Either a fifth, seventh, ninth or twelfth portion of the harvest should be offered by the cultivator at the time of performing the threshing floor sacrifice. 63.
Whichever Brahmin arrives there (at the threshing floor) are to be worshipped respectfully as honourable guests by all ploughmen, farmers, as well as householders. 64.
Similarly Shudras, mechanics, carpenters, etc..; low caste people, downtrodden, helpless, orphans, lepers, impotents etc..; the blind, deaf, dumb, crippled, the lowest caste people - whoever comes there for begging; food should be offered food as per one’s ability. 65-66.
Sending them back to their respective houses with sweet speech, one should bring the grains to his house and perform new corn (Navanna) sacrifice as per the procedures. 67.
When a sixth portion of the produce is given to the king, a twentieth portion of it to the deities and a thirtieth portion of it to the Brahmins, the farmer incurs no fault. 68.
Some sages say that for purification of the produce of agriculture, a part of grain should be donated. 69.
For the contributors of fourth portion of accepted donation, third portion of the gain through commerce, and twentieth portion of gain through agriculture, there is no sin. 70.
No means of livelihood other than agriculture is easy during this Kali-yuga. If agriculture is done honestly, then there is no greater happiness to be enjoyed than in performing agriculture. 71.
A person practising agriculture never experiences a shortage of food or clothings. Hence, there is no problem of nonhospitality and no problem of calamity at any time for a person rearing cows. 72.
‘O Great Brahmin! I have explained to you, this procedure of agriculture for the three castes. In the opinion of sage Parashara, this is to be followed in to. 73.
Thus ends the fifteenth chapter entitled, ‘Agriculture by householders’, in the fifth Prakaran of Satsangi jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as Dharmashastra (the rules of the code of conduct). 15