Listen, then, to the ancient wisdom concerning the sacred duty to the guest. When a person eats before the guest has been honored and fed, he gathers to himself the milk and the very essence of the food, taking for himself what should be shared. Such a one also claims for himself nourishment and abundance, offspring and cattle, fame and renown, prosperity and understanding—all these he seizes, depriving the guest. Therefore, the learned Brahmin who comes as a guest is to be regarded with the utmost respect; one must never eat before him. It is only after the guest has partaken that one should eat, for in this lies the true spirit of sacrifice and its unbroken continuation; this is the ancient rule. Whatever is most delightful—curds, milk, or meat—these too must not be tasted before the guest. For he who, understanding this, offers milk with the sacrificial oblation, attains the prosperity gained by the great Agniṣṭoma sacrifice. One who offers clarified butter, knowing its significance, secures the prosperity of the Atirātra sacrifice. To offer honey with understanding is to gain the prosperity of the Sattrasatya, and to offer meat with knowledge is to receive the prosperity of the Dvādaśāha sacrifice. Furthermore, he who, with awareness, offers water as an oblation, advances toward the generation of offspring, becomes firmly established, and is beloved by his descendants. Such a knower becomes the resting place of wealth, offspring, and cattle. Consider the movements of the day: as the sun rises, he utters the hiṅkāra; at mid-morning, he offers praise; at midday, he sings; in the afternoon, he recites; and at sunset, he rests. He who understands this becomes the resting place of wealth, offspring, and cattle. Likewise, when the cloud forms, it utters the hiṅkāra; when it thunders, it praises; when it flashes, it recites; when it rains, it sings; and as it gathers, it becomes the resting place. The one who knows this becomes the resting place of all prosperity. When guests arrive, the host greets them with the hiṅ sound, addresses them with kind words, offers praise, requests water, and sings forth their welcome. He brings forth food, tends to their needs, and removes the remains. The residue of the meal becomes for him the source of prosperity, offspring, and cattle—so it is for the one who knows. Whomever he calls to serve, that steward hears and responds. Whatever he listens to, he ensures is heard in return. The servers who come with vessels, whether before or after, are like the ladles of the Adhvaryu priest, though among them, none takes the role of the Hotṛ. When the lord of guests, having served those who have come, enters his home, he approaches the sacred Avabhṛtha, the ritual bath that marks completion. Whatever he distributes, he bestows as gifts; whatever he does, he accomplishes in fullness. When he is invited to eat upon the earth, all the forms upon the earth are present within him. When he is invited to eat in the atmosphere, all the forms of the sky are within him. When he is invited to eat in heaven, the forms of heaven dwell in him. When he is invited to eat among the gods, the forms of heaven are within him. When he is invited to eat among the worlds, again, all heavenly forms abide in him. Thus, he is invited, again and again. By honoring the guest in this way, he attains this world and the next; he conquers the worlds filled with light—such is the fruit for the one who knows. The lord of guests, when he looks upon the food with the thought, “May this be more, may this be more,” makes the sacrificer or Brahmin as himself. When he says, “Bring more,” he increases the very breath of life. He brings the offerings and settles them with care. Of those who are near, the guest offers his own self. With the ladle in hand, in the breath, at the sacrificial post, with the spoon, and with the vaṣaṭ-call, these actions are performed. Both those who are dear and those who are not, the officiants, lead the guests to the heavenly world. But one who knows this should not eat with hatred, nor should he eat the food of one who hates, nor of one who is not examined, nor of one who is examining. All the sin of eating falls upon the host whose food is consumed; all the sin is absent from him whose food is not eaten. Thus is the sacred conduct concerning the guest, the offering, and the sharing of food, as preserved and taught by the seers of old.