There is no fault, it is said, in announcing the death of one who was born blind, deaf, or mute. Yet, when a husband is lost, dead, has renounced the world, is impotent, or has fallen from virtue, impurity arises in the household. For women whose husbands are lost through any of these five calamities, the scriptures prescribe that another husband may be taken. However, a woman who dies together with her husband attains heaven for as many years as there are hairs on her body. If a man is bitten by a dog or a similar animal, he is purified by reciting the sacred Gāyatrī mantra. Should a Brāhmaṇa be burned by the fire of the world, or killed by outcastes and the like, he is still possessed of fire. After such a death, one should wash the bones with milk and then burn them in his own sacred fire, reciting the appropriate mantras. If death occurs far from home, then a figure made of kuśa grass should be fashioned and burned instead. The rites continue with great care: a black antelope skin is spread, and six hundred palāśa leaves are placed upon it. A twig of the śamī tree is set at the penis, and the lower fire-stick at the testicles. A pestle is placed in the right hand, a mortar in the left—the mortar at the side, the pestle at the back. A stone is set upon the chest, while rice, ghee, and sesame are placed in the mouth. In the ears, a sprinkling spoon is inserted, and at the eyes, a ghee-ladle. Pieces of gold are placed in the ears, eyes, mouth, and nose. By using the sacred implements of the agnihotra, the departed is guided on the path to the world of Brahmā. Then, with the offering of ghee and the words, “This is for the heavenly world, svāhā,” the rite is performed once for each of the following birds: the haṃsa, sāras, krauñca, cakravāka, and kukruṭa. If one kills a mayara, a ram, or a goat, purification is attained in a single day and night; the same applies to the killing of any birds. For the killing of any quadruped, one must recite prayers for a day and night. If a Śūdra is killed, the kṛcchra penance must be performed; for a Vaiśya, the atikṛcchra; for a Kṣatriya, the cāndrāyaṇa; and for a Brāhmaṇa, penance must last for twenty-two or thirty-three days. Sūta then spoke, saying, “I shall now declare the essence of ethics, distilled from the Arthaśāstra and similar texts, which is beneficial and meritorious for kings and others, granting long life, heaven, and much more. One who desires success should always associate with the virtuous, for nothing good comes in this world or the next from keeping company with the wicked. One should avoid trivial conversation, the sight of the wicked, conflict with friends, and intimacy with those who serve one’s enemies. Even a learned man is destroyed by instructing a foolish student, maintaining a wicked wife, or associating with the wicked. One should avoid from afar a childish Brāhmaṇa, a Kṣatriya who flees from battle, a dull Vaiśya, and a Śūdra who is learned in letters. At the proper time, one makes peace with an enemy, and at the proper time, one may even have conflict with a friend; the wise act according to the needs of the time. Time, indeed, ripens all beings and withdraws all creatures. Time is awake when all sleep, for time is truly insurmountable. In time, strength is taken away; in time, it abides in the womb; time brings forth creation, and again, time draws it back. Time always moves subtly, and is considered in two ways: by its gross, collective movement, and by its subtle, inner motion. Bṛhaspati spoke this essence of policy to the lord of the gods, by which Indra, becoming all-knowing, slew the demons and attained heaven. Thus, kings, sages, and Brāhmaṇas should worship the gods and the learned priests; one should perform the Aśvamedha sacrifice, which destroys even the gravest sins. He who associates with the best, converses with the wise, and befriends those free from greed, never comes to ruin. One should never engage in slander, act for another’s gain, indulge in mockery, desire another’s wife, or dwell in another’s house. Even a stranger who is helpful is a friend, while a harmful relative is an outsider; a disease arising in the body is an enemy, but a healing herb from the forest is a friend. A true friend is one who acts for your welfare; a father is he who provides nourishment; a true friend is one in whom trust is found; a land is that in which one can live. A servant is one who is obedient; a seed is that which sprouts; a wife is she who speaks kindly; a son is he who is alive. He truly lives who possesses virtues and righteousness; but he who is devoid of these, his life is fruitless. She is a wife who is skilled at home, speaks kindly, regards her husband as her very life, and is devoted to him. Such a wife is always bathed, fragrant, ever speaks pleasantly, eats little, speaks little, and is adorned with auspicious marks. She is abundant in virtue, ever devoted to her husband, always sweet in speech, and seeks union at the proper time. A wife endowed with such qualities brings prosperity; the man whose wife is like this is as Indra among men. On the other hand, a wife who is ugly-eyed, impure, fond of quarrels, and always argumentative—she is old age itself, not merely old age, but truly old age. A wife who seeks others, desires another’s house, acts wickedly, and is shameless—she too is old age, not merely old age, but truly old age. But a wife who knows virtue, follows her husband, and is content with little—she is dear, not merely dear, but truly dear. Beware an evil wife, a deceitful friend, a servant who answers back, or a snake in the house—these are surely death. Avoid the company of the wicked, seek the association of the good, perform virtuous deeds day and night, and always remember the impermanence of life. A woman who is fierce as a serpent, dark, agitated, with bloodshot eyes, tiger-like, whose face is terrible in anger, whose tongue is sharp as a crow’s, and who is cruel—such a woman, skilled in intrigue, wandering to other men’s houses, with a disturbed mind and lacking affection, should not be served. Power may arise even in a child, virtue in the ungrateful, and a hundredfold fire in gold; sometimes, by fate, passion arises for courtesans, and sometimes it does not. Who can remain steadfast when a snake is seen in the house, when disease resists treatment, or when the body is afflicted by childhood or old age—all at the appointed time? Thus, the wise remember the power of time and the importance of virtue, seeking always the company of the good and the path of righteousness.