Listen, O seeker, to the sacred ways by which purity is preserved and righteousness upheld. Not all earth is fit for holy use: earth dug from an anthill or a rat’s burrow, or taken from within water, should be avoided. Likewise, earth found indoors, or gathered from leaves that have fallen from living beings, and especially earth turned up by a plough, is not pure for ritual. Earth brought from the root of the aśvattha tree, or earth upon which someone has lain or risen, is to be shunned as well. The wise also discard earth from threshing floors, from fields, and from gardens, for these places are not sanctified. Purity is the foundation of all auspicious acts. One who lacks it remains ever impure and unfit for righteous duties. Therefore, begin by purifying the mouth, rinsing it thoroughly with sixteen mouthfuls of water. This act should be performed again, for such is the prescription given by Hari in the Sāmaveda for daily observance. For cleansing and other sacred rites, certain woods are praised: khadira, śirīṣa, jāti, punnāga, and śālaka are recommended. Jambū, bakula, tokma, and palāśa too are honored. But trees with thorns, creepers, and the like are to be avoided, as are the kharjūra, coconut, and tāla trees. Remember always: without purity, one is unfit for all actions, and impurity clings to such a person. After washing the feet and rinsing the mouth, the morning sandhyā should be performed with devotion. Even if a person bathes in all holy waters and performs the three sandhyās, if he lacks purity, the fruit of his daily actions will not be his. Such a one should be excluded from the duties of the twice-born, being as unfit as a Śūdra. Indeed, the twice-born who neglects these sacred observances incurs daily the grave sins of killing a Brāhmaṇa and of self-destruction, and is destined for the Kālasūtra hell for an age, like one who consorts with a woman of low birth. Know that Brahmā, Īśa, Viṣṇu, Māyā, Padmā, and Sarasvatī—all divine beings—are to be remembered. At the proper time, after touching water, the excellent practitioner should perform bathing and the rites that accompany it. Taking up the five balls of food at the outset, the wise and righteous proceed with their duties. After bathing, one should make a firm resolve, and then, O sage, bathe again, for this resolve destroys the sins committed by householders. With the proper Vedic mantra, a person should purify the body, praying: “O earth, take away my sin, whatever wrong I have done. Having come upon my limbs, remove all my sins.” Standing in water up to the navel, recite the mantra as prescribed, and invoke the sacred waters, placing the hand reverently. Call upon the holy rivers: “O Gaṅgā, O Yamunā, O Godāvarī, O Sarasvatī, O Nalinī, O Nandinī, O Sītā, O Mālinī, O great river, O Padmāvatī, O Bhogavatī, O Svarṇarekhā, O Kauśikī, O Vidyādharī, O Suprasannā, O Lokaprasādhinī, O Sāvitrī, O Tulasī, O Durgā, O Mahālakṣmī, O Sarasvatī, O Ahalyā, O Aditi, O Saṃjñā, O Svadhā, O Svāhā, and O Arundhatī.” Having bathed repeatedly and attained great purity, the wise one should then apply the tilaka mark upon the forehead. Bathing, giving, austerity, oblation, and rites for the gods and ancestors—these are sanctified by such purity. A brāhmaṇa, having adorned himself with the tilaka, should perform the twilight worship and the offering of water. With care, wash the feet and don clean garments. Whoever, after bathing, enters the temple without washing the feet, fails in proper conduct. Thus, through these sacred acts, purity is maintained, and the path of righteousness is illumined.