He who truly knows the nature of the Vrātya attains mastery; he becomes a master among masters. When someone says to such a one, “Vrātya, as your desire, so may it be!”—by granting this permission, the Vrātya confers upon him the fulfillment of desire itself. Thus, whoever knows in this way attains desire, and becomes one who is desired among the desired. Therefore, when a learned householder has kindled his sacred fires and established the Agnihotra, and the Vrātya comes to his home as a guest, he should rise himself, approach the Vrātya, and say with reverence, “Vrātya, permit me; I will offer.” If the Vrātya grants permission, then the host may offer; but if he does not permit, then the host must refrain. The one who offers with the Vrātya’s permission knows the path of the ancestors and the path of the gods. His offerings are never cut off among the gods, and in this world, he stands upon a secure and lasting foundation. But if one offers without the permission of a learned Vrātya, he knows neither the ancestral path nor the divine path. Among the gods, he is counted as the most virile among those whose offerings are rejected, and in this world, he is left without an abiding place, for he has not been properly released by one who knows. Furthermore, if a wise one, with knowledge of these truths, receives the Vrātya as a guest and allows him to remain for a single night, he secures for himself all the blessed worlds upon earth. If he stays a second night, the host gains all the blessed worlds in the atmosphere. With a third night, he secures all the blessed worlds in heaven. A fourth night grants him the most blessed of all blessed worlds, and if the Vrātya dwells for countless nights, the host gains all the countless blessed worlds. Now, if a non-Vrātya, bearing the name Vrātyabru, comes as a guest, the host should both draw him in and not draw him in. He should say, “For this deity, I ask for water; let this deity dwell; I surround, I will surround this deity.” For one who knows thus, the offering is made in that very deity. The Vrātya himself, in his cosmic journey, moved toward the eastern direction and became a troop of wind, making the mind the eater of food; thus, by mind as the eater, one eats food—whoever knows this. Turning southward, he became Indra, making strength the eater of food; by strength, one eats food. To the west, he became King Varuṇa, making the waters the eaters of food; by the waters, one eats. To the north, he became King Soma, moving with the Seven Sages, making the offering the eater of food; by the offering, one eats. Toward the fixed direction, he became Viṣṇu, making Virāj the eater of food; by Virāj, one eats. Among the animals, he became Rudra, making the plants the eaters of food; by the plants, one eats. Among the ancestors, he became King Yama, making the form of Svadhā the eater of food; by Svadhā, one eats. Among men, he became Agni, uttering ‘svāhā’ as the sound of food; by ‘svāhā,’ one eats. Moving upward, he became Bṛhaspati, uttering ‘vaṣaṭ’ as the sound of food; by ‘vaṣaṭ,’ one eats. Among the gods, he became Īśāna, uttering ‘manyu’ as the sound of food; by ‘manyu,’ one eats. Among all creatures, he became Prajāpati, uttering the breath as the sound of food; by the breath, one eats. Moving among all the inner regions, he became Parameṣṭhin, uttering Brahman as the sound of food; by Brahman, one eats. Of this Vrātya, there are seven prāṇas, seven apānas, and seven vyānas. His first prāṇa, named Ūrdhva, is Agni. The second prāṇa, Prauḍha, is Āditya. The third prāṇa, Abhyūḍha, is the Moon. In this way, the Vrātya is revealed as the very embodiment of the vital forces and the gods, the guest who is both honored and mysterious, the one who grants mastery and desire to those who know him.