Let us now recount the sacred preparations and rituals as prescribed in these revered verses. The teacher, guided by tradition, begins by gathering clay from four distinct places: a cluster of lotuses, the dwelling of a boar, the cowshed, and the crossroads. Twelve portions are collected—eight dedicated to Vaikuṇṭha, and the rest for Pinākin. He then seeks the five astringent substances, carefully taken from the bark of the banyan, udumbara, aśvattha, mango, and jambu trees, and gathers eight kinds of fruits appropriate to the season. Fragrant waters are drawn from holy places and from all medicinal plants, for these are suitable for the rites. The teacher prepares to mention the proper flowers and fruits, and also brings water that has touched gems and cow horns. For bathing, five items are assembled, along with the nectar of five products from the cow. Substances made from flour and cloth are also employed for purification. A pot with a thousand holes is readied, rocanā is brought for the maṇḍala, and roots from a hundred medicinal herbs are collected—vijayā, lakṣmaṇā, and balā among them. Guḍūcī, atibalā, pāṭhā, sahadevā, and śatāvarī are gathered, along with ṛddhi and suvarcasā, each prescribed for the bathing ritual to bring increase and auspiciousness. For protection, a heap of sesame and darbha grass is set aside, and only a bath with ashes is performed. Powders of barley, wheat, and bael are used by the wise. For anointing, camphor is chosen, and for bathing, the sides of the pot are utilized. A bed is prepared, with a pair of pillows, a cushion, and a cloth. According to one’s wealth, the bed is arranged for the ritual, and a vessel mixed with ghee and honey is prepared, along with a golden stick. A nourishing Śiva pot is made, and pots for the guardians of the world. There is also a pot for sleep and for peace, depending on the number of kuṇḍas. Pots are set for the doorkeepers and for dharma, as well as for peace. Additional pots are made for Vāstu, Lakṣmī, and Gaṇeśa, along with others as needed. Containers are fashioned from heaps of grain, adorned with cloth and garlands, filled with gold and sprinkled with fragrant water. Containers filled with fruits are arranged, vessels with leaves and auspicious marks are set out. The pots are covered with cloths, and white mustard seeds are brought. For scattering, roasted rice is prepared, and the sword of knowledge is brought as before. A vessel for oblation with a lid, and a ladle made of copper, are placed. A vessel mixed with ghee and honey is used for anointing the feet, and mats made from three hundred blades of darbha grass, measured by the arm, are laid out. Four-sided and square mats, likewise made from palāśa leaves, are prepared. Vessels for sesame, for oblation, a half-vessel, and a purifier are set up. Twenty-eight items are gathered: a pot for offering incense, ladles, a basket, a seat, a fan, and dry fuel. Flowers, leaves, guggul resin, lamps fueled with ghee, incense, unbroken rice, triple-threaded cords, cow’s ghee, barley, and sesame seeds are collected. Kusha grass is brought for purification, along with the three sweet substances, ten sticks of fuel, a ladle the length of an arm, and a hand for the ritual of appeasing the Sun and other planets. The fuel sticks are chosen from arka, palasha, khadira, amra, pippala, udumbara, shami, durva, and kusha—one hundred and eight in total. If these are unavailable, barley and sesame may be used, as well as household utensils. Two cloths for the deities and others are gathered, including a pot, ladle, and cover. For the worship of the teacher, rings, crowns, garments, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets are prepared, avoiding any deceit regarding wealth. If any of these items are lacking, the worship performed by those who recite, or by priests, astrologers, and artisans, is considered equivalent. For the appeasement of Vajra and the Sun, blue sapphires, blue gems, pearls, flowers, lotuses, conch shells, and the eighth gem, vaidurya, are prescribed. Vetiver, madhavi creeper, kranta, red sandalwood, agaru, fine sandal, sarika, kankusta, shankhini, and other medicinal herbs are brought. Gold, copper, red metal, silver, bell metal, lead, orpiment, and realgar are the metals required. Red ochre, gold, makshika, mercury, fire-colored ochre, sulphur, and mica are the eight minerals, along with varieties of rice. Wheat, sesame, black gram, green gram, barley, nivara rice, shyamaka, and thus the eight kinds of rice are enumerated. Once all these preparations are complete, Ishvara instructs: Having bathed and performed the two daily rites, the teacher, intent on the meaning of the sacred syllable, proceeds to the fire-hall with companions, images, and brahmins. There, as before, he worships the gateways, beginning with Shanti, in order, and circumambulates them, as well as the doorkeepers at each branch. In the east are Nandi and Mahakala; in the south, Bhringi and Vinayaka; in the west, Vrishabha and Skanda; and in the north, Devi and Chanda. At the base of those branches are the tranquil and cool Ghata, Parjanya, Ashoka, Bhuta, Sanjivana, and Amrita. The teacher worships, in order, the pairs who bestow wealth and prosperity, using their names in the dative case, ending with the fourth, and concluding with Om. The guardians of the worlds, the gatekeepers of the earth, the two streams, the three suns, the yuga, the Veda, Lakshmi, and Ganesha are honored. Thus, the gods stand at the sacrificial hall, at each gateway, to dispel assemblies of obstacles and protect the rite. One should worship, in order, the thunderbolt, spear, staff, sword, noose, banner, mace, trident, discus, lotus, and flag. With mantras such as 'o hrūṃ phaṭ namaḥ', 'oṃ hrūṃ phaṭ, to the power at the gate, hrūṃ phaṭ namaḥ', and others, Kumuda, Kumudākṣa, Puṇḍarīka, Vāmana, Śaṅkukarṇa, Sarvanetra, Sumukha, and Supratiṣṭhita are invoked. The eight deities of the banner are worshipped, beginning from the east, with hosts of spirits, using mantras such as 'oṃ kauṃ, salutations to Kumuda'. Hetuka, the destroyer of Tripura, the one called Śakti, Yamajhvaka, Kāla, Karālina, the sixth Ekāṅghni, Bhīma, and the eighth Aṣṭaka are honored. In the same way, the guardians of the directions are worshipped successively, with offerings, flowers, and incense, and are honored when satisfied. Thus, with meticulous care and reverence, the ritual unfolds, sanctifying the space and invoking divine protection and blessings for the sacred ceremony.