In the sacred text, a vivid description unfolds of auspicious physical and spiritual qualities. It begins with the portrayal of a man whose features are marked by unique signs: his eyes shine without the stars, his teeth are white and paired, and he possesses three deep-set ears and a navel. One singular quality is remembered, alongside three others. The virtues cherished in such a person are non-envy, compassion, patience, auspicious conduct, purity, aspiration, humility, effortless action, and courage. The narrative continues, describing the threefold nature of certain aspects: three hanging, such as the testicles and arms of a man; the regions, birth, and classes are distinguished by brilliance, fame, and fortune. There is one who spreads in three ways, marked by three lines, and three strengths reside in the belly. The text invites us to listen to the man who is threefold bent. He bows to deities, the twice-born, and teachers, and knows the proper times for righteousness, wealth, and pleasure—thus, he is called one who knows the three times. Further, the man marks his chest, forehead, and face with three lines, and his two hands and two feet are adorned with banners, parasols, and similar items. The fingers, heart, back, and waist are each fourfold, his height measures ninety-six fingers, and his body is four spans wide. Four tusks shine like the moon, and four are black; the pupils of his eyes, eyebrows, beard, and hair are likewise black. Sweat appears on his nose and face, and foul odor is found in the armpits. His organ and neck are short, as are his calves, according to the Veda. The joints of his fingers are fine, and his nails, hair, teeth, and skin are twice-born. His jaws, eyes, and forehead, as well as his nose, are long, and the space between his breasts is notable. His chest, armpits, mouth, and nose are prominent, his face is rounded, and his skin, hair, and teeth are smooth; so too are his hair, gaze, nails, and speech. His knees and thighs have two bamboo-like structures at the back, and the openings of his eyes, nostrils, ears, genitals, and anus are pure. His tongue, lips, palate, eyes, hands, feet, nails, tip of the penis, and mouth are praised as ten lotus-like features in embodied beings. His hands and feet are pleasant, and his neck, ears, heart, head, forehead, abdomen, and back are the ten honored parts. When his arms are extended, the space between the tips of his middle fingers equals his height, forming a circular shape like a banyan tree. The feet, ankles, hips, sides, groins, testicles, breasts, ears, lips, thighs, calves, hands, arms, and eyes—fourteen pairs—are generally found in a man. Whoever sees fourteen sciences with two syllables is called one with sixteen syllables. A rough, scattered body, inauspicious, devoid of flesh, with a foul and contrary odor, is praised when seen with a clear gaze. His speech is sweet, his gait resembles a proud elephant, his hair grows from a single pore, and he offers protection in fear, again and again. Then Samudra speaks of auspicious women. She is one with beautiful limbs, who walks like a proud elephant, whose hips are heavy, and whose eyes are like those of a proud pigeon. Her hair is beautiful, her limbs slender, her body hair fine, and she is charming; her feet touch the ground evenly, and her breasts are close together. Her navel turns to the right, her genitals are like the leaf of a fig tree, her ankles are hidden, and her navel is at the midpoint between the thumb and middle finger. A woman with a protruding belly, hanging breasts, or rough, leathery skin is not attractive; nor is one named after animals, trees, or rivers, or one who is always fond of quarrels. She should not be greedy, nor speak harshly; she is auspicious, worshipped by gods and others. She should not have swollen cheeks or lips like the flower of the maghūka tree, nor a large head, nor be excessively hairy. She should not have joined or crooked eyebrows. She values her husband as her very life and is dear to him; even if lacking in marks of fortune, she is to be considered fortunate—where there is good form, there are virtues. Agni then describes the best fly-whisk, which has a golden handle, and the royal umbrella, crafted with feathers of swan, peacock, or parrot. But it should not be made with crane feathers or mixed feathers. The umbrella for a Brahmin should be four-sided, for a king round and white. The staff may have three to eight joints, and the auspicious seat is made from milky trees, fifty finger-breadths high and three hand-spans wide, adorned with gold and precious materials. The three materials for a bow are iron, horn, and wood. The bowstring is made from bamboo, sinew, or hide. The best wooden bow is four hand-spans long, which is the standard; lesser bows are for the middle and lower types. The grip is made in the middle from suitable materials. The horn tip should be small and covered with skin; in a bow of horn and iron, the tip should be shaped like a woman’s eyebrow and well-fitted. The iron bow may be made separately or mixed, and should be adorned with golden dots. Crooked, split, or perforated bows are not praised. Gold, silver, copper, and black iron are known for bows. A fine bow may be made from buffalo horn, śārabha horn, or horse horn, or from sandalwood, cane, sāl, or the white aṅgaku tree. The very best bow is made from bamboo grown at home and harvested in autumn. The bow should be worshipped with sword-mantras that enchant the three worlds. The arrow, whether of iron, bamboo, or other material, should be straight, golden in color, bound with sinew, and well-feathered. Arrows with golden feathers are best; they should be well-feathered and oiled. At the start of a journey or consecration, one should offer oblations to the arrowheads. The king should perform worship with banners, weapons, and annual offerings. Brahmā himself worshipped on the summit of Meru and on the banks of the heavenly Ganges. There, he saw the iron demon, an obstacle to the sacrifice, and as he pondered this, a mighty man arose from the fire. Thus, the scripture weaves together the auspicious qualities of men and women, the proper marks and virtues, and the sacred implements of ritual, culminating in the divine intervention that overcomes obstacles and preserves righteousness.