Verses 750–759

750. Parched fields, dry without rain, if excessive rain fall, are destroyed. He who looks to his crop expecting crop upon crop, a luckless wretch is he wherever he be.

751. They who are distinguished (or humble) in instruction, in recluseness, (not exact means) and devotion, and those who are no evil doers (mischievous) but united to wisdom--the verses that Vemana has nobly written are numerous by the number of thousands, beyond the power even of these men to write. (a singularly complicate verse).

752. A woman who gives no food or drink is no true wife to her husband. She is rather his destiny. The husband who is united with such a woman perishes without the chance of being born again. He will perish degraded and become a reptile.

753. Composed of desire and cupidity, and of stubborn hearts are women. What can we say of the conduct of women? Faithfulness is their chief virtue. They are in other respects mere figs--fair without but worms within.

754. Women perform (pettu) sraddha (funeral rites) to women; what witness is there in women to do this. Then performing (iduta) it to women, better it performed to stones!

755. By the anniversary ceremonies the whole caste is ruined; by the conduct of women all respectability (shame) is destroyed; by ponds that are spoiled this world is; destroyed (good water being thus wasted) and life is ruined by slanders.

756. When a woman is called to attend a funeral, the funeral is a (useless) ruined funeral. Males alone can be the performers or guests herein (carta, bhocta).

757. To the funeral feasts of widows, why instead of inviting widows, why do they invite Brahmins; to the funeral of a married woman ye invite married wives.

758. If thou give the funeral feast to widows, void of means, they would rejoice, in every one of thy acts; but through thy neglecting this, thy former acts in a preceding birth become hateful in this world of earth, sky and air (i.e., void of favour before men, gods and demigods).

759. Searching, searching and searching, fretting (or being fatigued) and fretting, wandering, wandering and wandering till your head turns giddy. I saw that it is like beholding a puppet show.