In days of old, the laws of life and death, purity and conduct, were carefully set forth, guiding people in their daily actions and spiritual duties. It was established that when a cultivator reaped the fruits of the earth, he should render one-sixth of his yield to the king, one-twentieth to the gods, and a share to the brāhmaṇas—thirty-three parts—thus ensuring that his labors remained untainted by sin. Farmers of all castes—kṣatriya, brāhmaṇa, and śūdra—were admonished that withholding these rightful shares made them thieves in the eyes of dharma. Yet, purification from impurity, especially that arising from death or birth, was clearly prescribed: a brāhmaṇa would regain purity after three days, a kṣatriya in ten, a vaiśya in twelve, and a śūdra in a month. In some rites, these durations varied—sometimes a brāhmaṇa required ten days, a kṣatriya twelve, a vaiśya fifteen, and a śūdra still a month. When heirs lived apart, each in his own house with separate doors, each was to offer a single ball of rice in ancestral rites. Impurity would arise at both birth and misfortune, lasting for four days and ten nights, though for a male child, it could be six nights, and for the fifth, just five. On the sixth day, purity would return after four nights, and on the seventh, after three days. If a child died in a distant land, purity was immediate, for the deceased was but a child. Children who had not yet grown teeth, or were born prematurely, required neither the fire ritual, nor the offering of rice balls, nor water rites. If a woman lost or expelled a fetus, the period of impurity lasted as many days as the months the fetus had been in the womb. From the naming ceremony, purity was restored at once; after the first haircut, it lasted a day and night; after taking a vow, three nights; and thereafter, for ten days. From the fourth day, there was a discharge; on the fifth and sixth, a loss. For students and those who maintained the sacred fire, purity came simply by abstaining from contact. Certain groups—artisans, craftsmen, physicians, male and female servants, retainers, those who kept the sacred fire, the learned in the Vedas, and kings—were declared to be immediately pure, regardless of circumstance. After childbirth, the mother was pure after ten days, but the father could be purified simply by bathing. Any impurity arising from contact was dispelled by sprinkling water. Should death or impurity occur during weddings, festivals, or sacrifices, it was prescribed that nothing should interrupt what had already been resolved. Impurity was purified by the deceased; birth was treated like death for the people. For those who died in cattle raids or similar events, impurity lasted just one night. If one carried the body of an orphan, impurity was purified by breath control; for carrying the body of a deceased Śūdra, impurity lasted three nights. No ritual was prescribed for those who died by suicide, poison, darkness, or snakebite. If one touched a cow killed by a snake or worms, purification was difficult to achieve. A wife who abandoned her husband in youth, without fault or disgrace, would be born as a woman for seven lifetimes and would repeatedly experience widowhood. A woman who committed infanticide, approached forbidden men, or acted improperly was called ‘sūkari.’ Those who associated with forbidden men, performed vows, or committed grave sins lost the right to water rites after death. Sons born from the womb or the field, and those born from the father, were to offer rice balls to their father. But for adopted sons and daughters, purification was difficult. The giver and the officiant in such cases were to perform the most severe penance, including the lunar penance, especially for those who were hunchbacked, dwarfs, eunuchs, stammerers, or dull-witted. No fault lay in announcing the death of one born blind, deaf, or mute. If a husband was lost, dead, had renounced the world, was impotent, or had fallen, impurity would arise for the wife. In such cases, if the husband was lost in five calamities, another husband was prescribed for the woman. Yet, a woman who died together with her husband would dwell in heaven for as many years as there were hairs on her body. If a man was bitten by a dog or similar animal, he could be purified by reciting the Gāyatrī mantra. A brāhmaṇa who was burned by the fire of the world or killed by outcastes and the like, if he possessed the sacred fire, was considered pure. When such a one died, his bones were to be washed with milk, and then burned in his own fire with mantras. If death occurred far from home, a figure of kuśa grass would be made and burned instead. The ritual continued with a black antelope skin spread out, six hundred palāśa leaves laid upon it, a śamī twig placed at the penis, and the lower fire-stick at the testicles. The pestle was placed in the right hand, the mortar in the left, with the mortar at the side and the pestle at the back. A stone was placed on the chest, rice, ghee, and sesame in the mouth. In the ears, a sprinkling spoon was placed, and a ghee-ladle at the eyes. Pieces of gold were placed in the ears, eyes, mouth, and nose. By using the implements of the agnihotra, the path to the world of Brahmā was attained. With an offering of ghee, one would say, “This is for the heavenly world, svāhā,” and offer for the haṃsa, sāras, krauñca, cakravāka, and kukruṭa birds. If one killed a mayara, ram, or goat, purification was achieved in a day and night; the same applied to the killing of birds. For killing any quadruped, one should recite mantras for a day and night. For killing a Śūdra, the kṛcchra penance was required; for a Vaiśya, the atikṛcchra; for a Kṣatriya, the cāndrāyaṇa penance; and for a Brāhmaṇa, penance lasting twenty-two or thirty-three days. At this point, Sūta, the learned reciter, spoke: “I will declare the essence of ethics, drawn from the Arthaśāstra and similar texts, which is beneficial and meritorious for kings and others, bestowing long life, heaven, and more besides. A man who desires success should always seek the company of the virtuous; for nothing good arises, here or hereafter, from associating with the wicked. One should avoid trivial conversation, the company of the wicked, conflict with friends, and intimacy with those who serve enemies. Even a learned man is ruined by teaching a foolish student, maintaining a wicked wife, or consorting with the wicked. From afar, one should avoid a childish brāhmaṇa, a kṣatriya who flees from battle, a dull vaiśya, and a śūdra who is literate. At the proper time, one should make peace with an enemy, and at the proper time, conflict with a friend; the wise act according to the requirements of the time. Time itself ripens all beings and withdraws all creatures. While all sleep, time alone is awake; truly, time is insurmountable. In time, strength is taken away; in time, it returns to the womb; time brings forth creation and again withdraws it. Time always moves subtly and is considered twofold: its gross, collective movement, and its subtle, inner motion.” Thus, the teachings were set forth, guiding all towards righteousness, purity, and wisdom, ever attuned to the subtle and inexorable flow of time.