With reverent attention to the sacred order, the ritual for preparing the site began. At the second square, an offering of surā liquor was made to the Asura, while at the adjacent square, Śeṣa was honored with ghee and water. Pāpa, situated at the half-square, received barley, and in the very center, cakes were presented to Disease to avert misfortune. In another square, Nāga was worshipped with nāga flowers, and Bhakṣya, the chief, was satisfied with food. Bhallāṭa was offered mung-bean rice, and Soma, likewise, was honored at his square. The Sage was venerated with honey, milk-rice, and lotus-stalk in two squares, while Diti was appeased with sesame cakes at one half, and again at the other half. Below Īśa’s square, Āpa was offered fried cakes, and at the next square, milk was presented. Below that, Āpa was again worshipped, this time with curd in a single square. Marīci received fried cakes in the four eastern compartments, and Savitṛ was offered red flowers. In the corner compartment below Brahmā, Sāvitrī was given water with kuśa grass, while Vivasvat and Aruṇa were honored with sandalwood at the four-footed squares. Below the Rakṣas, in the corner compartment, cooked food was offered to Indra at night, and beneath that, in another corner, Indrajaya was given rice cooked in ghee. In the four-footed squares, sweet rice was presented to Indra. Below Vāyu, in the corner, Rudra was offered cooked meat. Next, in the corner compartment, Yakṣa received half a fruit, and Mahīdhara was given meat and black gram at the four-footed squares. At the center of the four-footed squares, sesame and rice were offered to Brahmā, and Skanda was honored in the same place with black gram, clarified butter, and thin rice gruel. Putana was appeased with red leaves, vidari, kandarpa, and palodana, while Jambhaka received ampala bile, flesh, and blood. The sinful pilipincha was offered bile, blood, and bones, with garlands and blood, and Ishadi and others were given blood and flesh, or, if these were unavailable, unbroken offerings. The groups of Rakshasa mothers, Piśāchas, the ancestors, and the guardians of the field were honored with offerings as desired. Without these offerings and the proper heating, construction of palaces and similar works should not proceed. In the place of Brahmā, Hari, Lakṣmī, and the Ganas were worshipped afterwards. Maheshvara, as lord of the site, was venerated with Varddhani, the pot; Brahmā was honored at the center of the pot, along with Brahmā and the lords of the directions. After the complete oblation, auspicious words were recited, and bows were offered. The karkari was taken up, and the mandala was circumambulated with devotion. Along the path of the thread, streams of water were let flow, and along the previously described path, the seven seeds were sown. Following this, the excavation began, and a pit was dug at the center, measuring the size of a hand. Clay was applied below to a space of four angulas, and worship was conducted there, meditating on four-armed Viṣṇu and offering arghya from the pot. The trench was filled with the karkari, and white flowers were placed; the best south-turning trench was filled with seeds and earth. After the arghya was offered, cow-cloth and other gifts were presented to the teacher, and the knower of time, the architect, and the Vaiṣṇavas and others were worshipped. Excavation continued carefully until water was reached. Any buried impurity below a person would not harm the house. However, if a bone impurity was found, the wall would be broken, and the householder would suffer; wherever a name was heard, impurity was reckoned. At this point, the Blessed Lord spoke: “I shall explain the installation of the foot and the characteristics of stone placement. In front, a pavilion should be constructed, and four fire pits prepared. With the placement of the pot and bricks, and the auspicious erection of the door pillar, the pit below the foot should be filled, and there the vastu sacrifice performed in equal measure. The bricks must be well-baked, measuring twelve angulas, with proper breadth in three parts and suitable width. The best stones, too, should be of hand measure, as should stones for stone structures. Nine copper pots and brick vessels were to be placed. These pots were filled with water, five decoctions, medicinal and fragrant waters. Rice of golden hue, anointed with fragrant sandalwood, was added. Three mantras were recited: ‘āpo hi ṣṭha’, ‘śaṃ no devī’, and again. The ‘tarata samandīḥ’ mantra, the Pavamāni verses, ‘ud uttamaṃ varuṇam’, and the Kayānaś hymn were also chanted. With the mantras ‘varuṇasya’, ‘haṃsaḥ śuciṣat’, and the Śrīsūkta, the stones and vessels were properly established. On a bed within an eastern pavilion, in the mandala, Hari was worshipped. The fire was kindled, and sacred sticks were offered on the twelfth day. The two portions, support and clarified butter, were prepared with the Praṇava. Then, with the eight Vyāhṛtis, eight oblations of ghee were offered in sequence—to the Lords of the Worlds, to Agni, to Soma in the vessels, and to Puruṣottama. The Vyāhṛtis were offered thereafter. For expiation, the vessels were filled separately with a complete mixture of form, flesh, ghee, and sesame, ending with the twelfth Veda mantra. The teacher, facing east, anointed the eight directions, and in the center placed one stone and one vessel, invoking the deities in order: a lotus, a great lotus, a makara, a tortoise, a kumuda, Nanda, a lotus, a conch, and Padminī. The vessels remained unmoved, and in them, eight bricks were placed in order, beginning with the easternmost at the direction of Īśāna. The energies, beginning with Vimala, and the deities of the bricks were established as appropriate. In the center, the grace-bringing one was placed. Finally, on an unblemished, unbroken, full brick, to the son of the sage Aṅgiras, the desired object was offered, with the proclamation: ‘I establish the foundation.’ Thus, the ritual for the consecration of the site was fulfilled in sacred order and devotion.