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These and other great mountains, Were made altars by the sacrificers, it is said.” 917. “The reciter, endowed with mantra-power, The ascetic, the one who seeks the yoga, it is said; Sprinkling water on the shore of the ocean, The ocean carried him away, so he was drunk.” 918. “Many sacrificial grounds on earth, Are found by the brahmins of Vāsava; East, west, south, and north, Being found, they generate the Veda.” 919. “Calamity indeed for the wise, for those who have made their way, There is no misfortune for those who have mastered the Veda; Because they have not considered the nature of a mirage, The qualities of illusion do not overcome wisdom.” 920. “The Vedas are no protection for the slave, For the treacherous, the murderer of beings; Nor does the worshipped fire protect, A person who commits evil deeds, a non-Aryan act.” 921. “All wealth and possessions of mortals, Are set ablaze, mixed with wood and grass; The fire, with insufficient power, does not satisfy by burning, Who would make that abundant, two-flavored offering?” 922. “Just as milk, by nature, changes milk, having become curds, also becomes butter; Even so, fire is of a nature to change, the radiant one descends, yoked to the practice. 923. Fire is not seen having entered, in dry wood, or in fresh; When a man rubs the fire-sticks, the fire-born does not arise without action. 924. If indeed fire were to dwell within, in dry wood, or in fresh; All the forests in the world would dry up, and the dry wood would blaze. 925. If a man makes merit with wood and grass, offering the smoke-crested, radiant one; Then charcoal-makers, salt-makers, and cooks, who burn bodies, would also make merit. 926. But if these do not make merit, by satisfying fire here; Then no one in the world makes merit, by offering the smoke-crested, radiant one. 927. How can one, despised by the world, with an unpleasant smell, disliked by many; That which mortals avoid, that unpraiseworthy thing, should one, knowing the two tastes, eat? 928. Some call fire a god, while barbarians call water a god; All these speak falsely, fire is not a god, nor is water. 929. Knowing the fire-god to be without sense-faculties, a senseless body, a servant; How can one, by serving fire, go to a good destination, while performing evil deeds? 930. They say that Brahma is the servant of fire, for the sake of livelihood, overcoming all; And if he is all-powerful and master, why should the uncreated worship the created? 931. They spread laughter, unendurable, untrue, for the sake of honor in the past; When those gains and honors did not appear, they were restrained by beings, regarding the peaceful doctrine. 932. Nobles rule the earth, Vessas farm, and Suddas serve; Up to Now, each one, by their region, 'Who made these masters?' they say. 933. If this statement were true, as spoken by the Brahmins; No warrior would ever gain kingship, no non-brahmin learn sacred verses; No one but vaishyas would farm, a sudra not be freed from service. 934. But since this statement is untrue, these gluttonous ones speak falsely; The foolish believe it, the wise see it for themselves. 935. Indeed, warriors collect taxes from vaishyas, Brahmins wander, taking their crafts; Such a disturbed, divided world, why does Brahma not set it right? 936. If indeed he is lord of all the world, Brahma, master of many beings, knowing all; Why did he make the whole world wretched? Why did he not make the whole world happy? 937. If indeed he is lord of all the world, Brahma, master of many beings, knowing all; With deceit, falsehood, and arrogance, for what purpose did he make the world unrighteous? 938. If indeed he is lord of all the world, Brahma, master of many beings, knowing all; Then the lord of beings is unrighteous, O Ariṭṭha, he who made unrighteousness when righteousness existed. 939. Insects, grasshoppers, snakes, and frogs, one is purified by killing worms and flies; These doctrines too are ignoble, false for many Kamboja people. 940. If indeed he who kills is purified, even having killed, he goes to a heavenly state; Then 'bho'-speakers would kill 'bho'-speakers, and those who believe them. 941. Neither deer, nor cattle, nor cows, do any ask for their own slaughter; Struggling here for their lives, they slaughter living beings, animals, in sacrifices. 942. At the erection of sacrificial posts, and the binding of animals, the fools... with various colors, they lead the face. This sacrificial post of yours, a wish-fulfiller in the next world, will be eternal in the future. 943. If indeed, from the sacrificial post, jewels, conch shells, pearls, grain, wealth, silver, gold, from dry wood or new wood, if it were to yield all desires in heaven, then the assemblies of the Three-Knowledge holders would widely sacrifice, and they would not make any non-brahmin sacrifice. 944. But from where, from the sacrificial post, jewels, conch shells, pearls, grain, wealth, silver, gold, from dry wood or new wood, from where would it yield all desires in heaven? 945. Deceitful, greedy, and foolishly deluded ones, with various colors, they lead the face. "Take the fire, give me wealth," "Then you will be happy with all desires." 946. Having entered that fire-offering as a refuge, with various colors, they lead the face. Having shaved off hair, beard, and nails, they extort wealth with the Vedas. 947. Like crows finding an owl in secret, many having gathered around one, having eaten food, the deceivers having deceived, having made him bald, they abandon him on the path of sacrifice. 948. Thus indeed is he deceived by brahmins, one person, many having gathered around him. They, plundering by various means, take away visible wealth for the invisible. 949. Unpunished, instructed by kings, they take away his wealth. Such wicked ones, like thieves, are punishable, yet are not killed in this world. 950. "Indra's arms are in the south," they say, in sacrifices they cut the palāsa stick. If that were true, Maghavā with severed arms, by what means would Indra conquer the Asuras? 951. That is indeed empty; Maghavā is whole, a slayer, unpunishable, that supreme deity. These brahmins, with their mantras, are empty forms, this is a visible deception in the world. 952. Mālāgiri, Himavā, and Gijjha, Sudassana, Nisabha, Kuveru; These and other great mountains, let them not be made into altars by sacrifice-makers. 953. Where Indeed, bricks are destructive, They say built by sacrificers for the altar; Mountains are not like that, In other directions, immovable, standing rocks. Bricks do not become stone over time, Neither iron nor copper is produced there; And praising this sacrifice, They say it is built by sacrificers for the altar. A reciter endowed with mantra qualities, They say, a renunciant, a seeker of yoga; Water flowing into the sea at its shore, The ocean swallows it, therefore it is undrinkable. Even more than a thousand, in all directions, Rivers endowed with mantras flow; Their water is not spoiled in taste by that, Why is the ocean incomparable and undrinkable? Whatever wells there are in this living world, Salty water, dug by well-diggers; Not by a brahmin's swallowing them, They say the water is undrinkable, knowing two tastes. Formerly, in the east, whose wife was she? The mind gave birth to man before. By that law, no one is inferior, Thus they speak of the division of renunciation. Even a Caṇḍāla's son, having learned the Vedas, May recite mantras, skillful and intelligent; His head would not split into seven pieces, These mantras are made for self-destruction. Made of words, taken with greed, Hard to release, fallen into the path of poets; The minds of fools are fixed on uneven ground, Those of little wisdom believe it. Of a lion, a tiger, and a leopard, There is no strength by human measure; And human nature is like that of cattle, Indeed, their birth is unequal, yet equal. If a king, having conquered the earth, Is alive and has obedient attendants; He himself would conquer the host of enemies, His subjects would be eternally happy. The mantras of Khattiyas and the three Vedas, These are equal in meaning; And not having ascertained their meaning, One does not understand, like a hidden flood path. Kh Those who practice Mantras and the three Vedas, In meaning, these are equal. Gain, loss, disrepute, and fame, All these are the four conditions for them. 965. Just as rich men, for wealth and grain, Perform deeds throughout the earth; So too today, the three-Veda assemblies, Perform deeds throughout the earth. 966. Those who are equal to these rich men, Constantly eager, devoted to sense pleasures; They perform deeds throughout the earth, Those of little wisdom, attached to two tastes. 967. Whose drums and tabors, Conches, cymbals, and kettle-drums; Proceed in front, Delighting the lord of chariots? 968. With whose golden belt, Broad and lightning-colored; A youth, adorned with a quiver, Who comes, blazing with glory? 969. Like a torch struck by a flame, Resembling glowing acacia charcoal; Whose radiant face shines, Who comes, blazing with glory? 970. Whose golden umbrella, With a handle, delightful; Warding off the sun's rays, Who comes, blazing with glory? 971. Whose excellent yak-tail fan, Held at his side, For the one of excellent merit, Moves high above his head? 972. Whose peacock-feather fans, Colorful and soft; With golden jeweled handles, Move on both sides of the face? 973. With the color and luster of acacia charcoal, Shining like a torch struck by a flame; Whose delightful earrings, Shine on both sides of the face? 974. Whose soft, dark locks, Touched by the wind and swept back; Adorn the forehead, Like lightning emerging from the sky? 975. Whose are these eyes, Long and broad; Who shines, broad-eyed, Whose is this face with the hair-tuft? 976. Whose are these lips... pure, white, conch-shell-like; Shining, they gleam,