Their milk remained exposed, and they began to touch clarified butter with hands unwashed after eating.[861] Their spades, domestic knives, baskets, and dishes and cups of white brass, and other utensils began to lie scattered in their houses. Their housewives abstained from looking after these. They no longer attained to the repairs of their houses and walls. Tethering their animals they abstained from giving them food and drink.[862] Disregarding children that only looked on, and without having fed their dependants, the Danavas ate what they had. They began to prepare payasa and krisara and dishes of meat and cakes and sashkuli (not for gods and guests) but for their own slaves, and commenced to eat the flesh of animals not killed in sacrifices.[863] They used to sleep even after the sun had risen. They made night of their morns. Day and night disputes and quarrels waxed in every house of theirs. They that were not respectable amongst them no longer showed any respect for those that deserve respect while the latter were seated in any place. Fallen off from their defined duties, they ceased to reverence those that had betaken themselves to the woods for leading a life of peace and divine contemplation. Intermixture of castes freely commenced among them. They ceased to attend to purity of person or mind. Brahmanas learned in the Vedas ceased to command respect among them. Those again that were ignorant of Richs were not condemned or punished. Both were treated on a footing of equality, those, that is, that deserved respect and those that deserved no respect. Their servant girls became wicked in behaviour, and began to wear necklaces of gold and other ornaments and fine robes, and used to remain in their houses or go away before their very eyes. They began to derive great pleasure from sports and diversions in which their women were dressed as men and their men as women.Mbh 12.228.6d · Mahabharata · SANTI PARVA
Mbh 12.228.6d
Mahabharata · translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli
Themes in this passage
CharityChildrenDharmaThe DivineMeditationNaturePeaceService
Charity in other traditions
The same theme, as Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Taoism address it.
And of them is he who made a covenant with Allah (saying): If He give us of His bounty we will give alms and become of the righteous.Quran 9:75 · Quran · Repentance
Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.Hosea 9:14 · Bible · Hosea
Give up what is before, give up what is behind, give up what is in the middle, when thou goest to the other shore of existence; if thy mind is altogether free, thou wilt not again enter into birth and decay.Dhp 24.348 · Dhammapada · Thirst
I do not know its name, and I give it the designation of the Tao (the Way or Course). Making an effort (further) to give it a name I call it The Great.Tao Te Ching 25.2 · Tao Te Ching
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