In the ancient days, the sages spoke with care about the duties and conduct appropriate for each person, mindful of the subtle laws of dharma. It was taught that one should not sell salt or similar items, for such trade was considered impure. Yet, if a twice-born person—someone of the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, or vaiśya class—found himself in dire distress and accepted sustenance from those of lower status, he was not tainted by this act, just as the sun remains untouched by the impurities it shines upon. In times of hardship, such a person might take up agriculture or similar work, but he should never sell horses. If a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, or vaiśya fell into poverty and had no means to live, it was the king’s duty to ensure he received a righteous livelihood, so that he might uphold his dharma. Once, Sūta recounted how Parāśara spoke to Vyāsa, seeking clarity on the laws of dharma as they pertained to the different varṇas and āśramas, and wondering whether, with each cosmic cycle of creation and destruction, beings diminished or arose anew. Parāśara explained that the Veda, the Smṛti, and the traditions of good conduct—whatever is established by the Veda—are always to be remembered as dharma for brāhmaṇas and all others, as taught by Manu and the ancient sages. In the Kali age, giving is the highest dharma, but in this age, the one who performs the act is often neglected. Sinful acts in Kali bear their fruit for many years, following the doer like a curse. By observing proper conduct, one fulfills all six daily duties: worship at dawn and dusk, bathing, recitation of sacred texts, offerings into the fire, and hospitality to gods, guests, and others. A brāhmaṇa steadfast in his vows is rare and praiseworthy, as are ascetics. The kṣatriya, having conquered enemy armies, should rule the earth with justice. The vaiśya should devote himself to trade and agriculture, while the śūdra should serve the twice-born faithfully. One falls from grace by eating forbidden food, stealing, or consorting with the forbidden. A twice-born engaged in farming should never overwork a tired ox. For half the day, he should devote himself to bathing and related duties, and to feeding brāhmaṇas. He must perform the five great sacrifices, avoid harsh criticism, and should not sell sesame oil. Performing sacrifices in a slaughterhouse is sinful. The cultivator who gives one-sixth of his produce to the king, one-twentieth to the gods, and thirty-three parts to the brāhmaṇas remains untainted by sin. But if farmers—be they kṣatriya, brāhmaṇa, or śūdra—fail to give the due share, they are regarded as thieves. When a brāhmaṇa is defiled by a birth or death impurity, he is purified in three days. A kṣatriya is purified in ten days, a vaiśya in twelve, and a śūdra in a month. In another reckoning, a brāhmaṇa is purified after ten days, a kṣatriya after twelve, and a vaiśya after fifteen, while a śūdra again requires a month. Heirs who live separately, each in their own house, should each offer a single ball of rice in the funeral rites. At birth and during misfortune, impurity arises for them: for four days and ten nights, or for six nights in the case of a male, and five nights in the fifth month. On the sixth day, purity returns after four nights; on the seventh, after three days. If a child dies far from home, purity is immediate, for the deceased is but a child. Children who have not yet grown teeth, or those born prematurely, require neither the fire ritual, nor the offering of rice balls, nor the water rites. If a fetus is lost or expelled, impurity lasts as many days as the months the fetus spent in the womb. From the naming ceremony, purity is restored at once; after the first haircut, it lasts a day and night; after a vow, three nights; and thereafter, for ten days. From the fourth day, there is discharge; on the fifth and sixth, there is loss. For students and those who maintain the sacred fire, abstaining from contact brings purity. Artisans, craftsmen, physicians, male and female servants, retainers, those who possess fire, those learned in the Vedas, and kings are all declared to be immediately pure. The mother regains purity after ten days, while the father is purified by bathing at the time of birth; impurity arises from contact, but after sprinkling with water, the father is pure. If death or impurity arises during weddings, festivals, or sacrifices, only what was previously resolved should be performed; nothing else should be undertaken. Impurity is cleansed by the deceased; birth is treated like death in this respect. For those who die in cattle raids or similar events, impurity lasts only one night. Impurity from carrying the body of an orphan is removed by breath control; carrying the body of a deceased śūdra brings three nights of impurity. There are no rituals for those who die by suicide, poison, darkness, or snakebite. After touching a cow killed by a snake or one bitten by worms, purification is difficult to attain. A wife who abandons her husband in youth without his fault or disgrace will be born as a woman for seven lifetimes, suffering widowhood again and again. A woman who commits infanticide, approaches forbidden men, or acts improperly is called a 'sūkari.' Those who associate with forbidden men, perform forbidden vows, or commit grave sins lose the right to water rites. A son born from the womb or from the field, and those born from the father, all offer rice balls to the father; for adopted sons and daughters, purification is difficult. The giver and the officiant should perform the most severe penance, including the lunar penance, for those who are hunchbacked, dwarfs, eunuchs, stammerers, or dull-witted. There is no fault in announcing the death of one born blind, deaf, or mute. If the husband is lost, dead, has renounced the world, is impotent, or has fallen from virtue, impurity arises. For women whose husbands are lost in these five calamities, another husband is prescribed. But a woman who dies together with her husband dwells in heaven for as many years as there are hairs on her body. If a man is bitten by a dog or similar animal, he becomes purified by reciting the Gāyatrī mantra. A brāhmaṇa who is burned by the fire of the world or killed by outcastes and the like is considered to possess the sacred fire. When death occurs, after washing the bones with milk, they should be burned in the family fire with mantras. If death occurs abroad, a figure of kuśa grass should be fashioned and burned in its stead. A black antelope skin should be spread, and six hundred palāśa leaves placed upon it. A śamī twig should be placed at the penis, and the lower fire-stick at the testicles. The pestle should be placed in the right hand, the mortar in the left, with the mortar at the side and the pestle at the back. A stone should be set upon the chest, and rice, ghee, and sesame placed in the mouth. In the ears should be placed a sprinkling spoon, and a ghee-ladle at the eyes. Pieces of gold should be placed in the ears, eyes, mouth, and nose. By using the implements of the agnihotra, the soul attains the path to the world of Brahmā. With an offering of ghee, saying, “This is for the heavenly world, svāhā,” the rites are performed—once for each of the haṃsa, sāras, krauñca, cakravāka, and kukruṭa birds. One who kills a mayara, ram, or goat is purified in a day and a night; likewise, having killed any birds, one is purified in a day and a night. Thus were the laws of purity, conduct, and ritual explained, so that all might live in harmony with the eternal dharma.