Institutes of Vishnu — LVIII.
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# LVIII.
- The property of householders is of three kinds:
- White, mottled, and black.
- By those obsequies which a man performs with white property, he causes (his departed ancestor) to be born again as a god.
- By performing them with mottled property, he causes him to be born as a man.
- By performing them with black property, he causes him to be born as an animal.
- What has been acquired by the mode of livelihood of their own caste, by members of any caste, is called 'white.'
- What has been acquired by the mode of livelihood of the caste next below in order to their own, is called 'mottled.'
- What has been acquired by the mode of livelihood of a caste by two or more degrees lower than their own, is called 'black.'
- What has been inherited, friendly gifts, and
[LVIII. 1, 2. Nârada 3, 46.--9-12. Nârada 3, 53, 47-49, 51.
- As the obligations of a householder, which will be discussed further on (in LIX), cannot be fulfilled without a certain amount of wealth, he discusses in the present chapter the origin of wealth. (Nand.)]
the dowry of a wife, that is called white property, for members of any caste indiscriminately.
- What has been acquired as a bribe, as a fee (for crossing a river and the like, or for a bride, &c.), or by the sale of forbidden articles (such as lac, or salt), or as a return for a benefit conferred, is denoted 'mottled wealth.'
- What has been acquired by servile attendance, by gambling, by thieving, by begging, by deceit (as if a man says that he wants a present for another and takes it himself, or by forging gold or other metals), by robbery, or by fraud (as if a man shows one thing to a purchaser and delivers another to him instead), is called 'black property.'
- Whatever a man may do (in this world) with anything (he has, whether white, mottled, or black property) he will get his reward accordingly; both in the next world and in this.
Next: LIX.
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