In the sacred tradition, the conduct of bathing has been carefully prescribed by the great souls. For Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas, bathing accompanied by mantras is considered proper and auspicious. For the Shudra, silent bathing with reverence is enjoined, and the acts of teaching, the Brahma-yajña, and the ancestral offerings are to be performed by pouring water. The homa ritual is offered to the gods, the bali is given to spirits, and the offering to guests, though noble, is not considered a yajña. The merit of gifting cows varies by place: in a cowshed, it yields tenfold merit, and in the fire chamber, a hundredfold. But in sacred fields, at holy waters, and in temples of deities, especially in the presence of Vishnu, the merit becomes countless—hundreds of thousands of millions. In the fifth part of the ritual, sharing should be done appropriately, and the merit for ancestors and humans is said to be in the millions. He who first gives to Brahmins and then eats with friends, performing the gift of food, attains heaven after death. The prescribed order for eating is to begin with sweet foods, then take salty and sour in the middle, and finally consume pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes, along with milk, at the end. One should avoid eating vegetables at night that grow on the ground, and should never become attached to food of a single taste. For a Brahmin, food is prescribed; for a Kshatriya, milk; for a Vaishya, food remains food; but for a Shudra, blood is prescribed as food. On the new moon, one should stay in the sacred place, or for a single year only. There, Sri and Lakshmi both reside without doubt; the household fire is in the belly, and the southern fire is on the back. The oblation fire is in the mouth, truth and the sacred festival are on the head; he who knows these five fires is called one who has established the sacred fires. The body itself is composed of water, soma, and various foods; the life-breath is fire and the sun, yet the enjoyer of all three is truly one. Food gives strength to me, to earth, water, fire, and wind; may this, when digested, bring uninterrupted happiness. After eating, one should wipe the hand, chew betel, and then, with full attention, listen to history. In the sixth or seventh part of the day, one should study the histories and Puranas; then, after bathing, perform the evening worship. Thus, O twice-born, the daily observances have been described. Whoever, learned, recites or hears this attains heaven. Indeed, O twice-born, Kesava is remembered as the originator of conduct and dharma. Now, Brahma speaks: “I shall explain the procedure for bathing, since all rites are rooted in bathing. The necessary items are clay, cow dung, sesame seeds, darbha grass, and fragrant flowers. At the time of bathing, one should carefully and with purity gather these items, placing fragrant water in a clean and secluded spot, or else on the ground. The wise person divides the clay and cow-dung into three portions, then washes the feet and hands with water and clay. Wearing the sacred thread properly, with the hair tuft bound, having performed proper sipping of water and observing silence, one approaches the water, recites the ‘Uruṃ rājet’ verse, and circumambulates it. While revolving the water, one recites the ‘Ye te śatam’ verse. Then, invoking the gods, one says: ‘Om. The king Varuṇa made the broad path for the sun; the guardians and speakers, wise at heart, follow it. Salutation to Agni and Aruṇa, praised; may the noose of Varuṇa be loosened. Salutation to Varuṇa.’ Further, one prays: ‘Om. O Varuṇa, your hundreds and thousands of sacrificial nooses are spread wide and great; may Savitṛ, Viṣṇu, all the Maruts, and the shining gods release us today with these. Svāhā.’ With joined hands in reverence, one pours water to the north and then to the west, praying: ‘Om. May the waters and herbs be friendly to us; may they be unfriendly to him who hates us, and to whom we are hostile.’ First, the feet and waist are washed three times each with clay, then the hands are washed, water is sipped, obeisance is offered, and then the water is taken. One recites: ‘Om. Viṣṇu has traversed this universe; his three steps are set in the dust.’ Afterwards, with the great vyāhṛtis, one sips water, remaining pure. The limbs are cleansed with clay, reciting ‘Idaṃ Viṣṇuriti’, and, facing the sun, one immerses in water, reciting ‘Āpo asmāniti’. The prayer follows: ‘Om. May the waters, our mothers, purify us; may they cleanse us with ghee and make us pure as ghee. The divine waters carry away all defilement; I enter the pure, purified waters.’ Next, without touching, one gently immerses and lifts the vessels, smears them with cow-dung, and recites the ‘Mānastoka’ verse: ‘Om. May we not suffer loss in our children, in our lifespan, in our cows, or in our horses; may Rudra not harm our heroic men. We ever invoke you, O bearer of oblations.’ Then, one sprinkles with mantras, especially those to Varuṇa, in order: ‘Imaṃ me Varuṇe dvābhyām’, and also ‘Tvannaḥ satvanna’. One recites ‘Āpo tvantumasīti’ and ‘Muñcantvavabhṛta’, and then: ‘Om. O Varuṇa, hear my invocation; today, be gracious and grant me relief, as I seek your favor.’ Further prayers are offered: ‘Om. With this, I approach you, O Brahman, with reverence; the sacrificer seeks you with offerings. Without anger, O Varuṇa, be present here; grant us a long, unbroken life. Om. O Agni, knowing Varuṇa’s will, remove the anger of the god from us. Most worshipful, shining one, release us from all hatred. Svāhā. Om. May you, Agni, be thus for us, nearest at the dawn’s breaking. Seeking Varuṇa, may I win his favor; be gracious, well-invoked. Om. May the waters, herbs, and the king not harm us; then, O Varuṇa, release us when the day is done.’ Thus Varuṇa is invoked: ‘Release us, O Varuṇa.’ And prayed: ‘Om. O Varuṇa, loosen from us your highest, lowest, and middlemost noose. Then, O son of Aditi, may we be sinless in your vow. Release us, and also from Varuṇa’s bonds. May we not suffer the wrath of Yama’s wife; may we be freed from all sin.’ Having bathed, one should always move about with pure food. May the mind, made by the gods, be pure, and may the wise be adorned with flowers. After sprinkling oneself thus, one should immerse, sip water again, and then sprinkle with darbha grass, reciting purifying mantras without explicit forms. One recites the three verses beginning with ‘Āpo hiṣṭha’, then ‘Idam āpo haviṣmatīḥ’, two times ‘Devīr āpaḥ’, and three times ‘Āpo devāḥ’. Then, ‘Drupadādiva’, ‘Śaṃ no devīr apāṃ rasaḥ’, and ‘Āpo devo pāvamānyaḥ punantu’, making a total of nine verses. With a concentrated mind, one gradually immerses, reciting ‘citpatir’ and ‘hiraṇyavarṇā’, as well as the other Pavamāna hymns. The Taratsāma, the Śuddhavatī hymns, and the purifying mantras are recited with power; many auspicious Vāruṇī mantras are also applied with power. With the syllable ‘Om’, the Vyāhṛtis, and the Gāyatrī joined at the beginning and end, one performs the ablution in the proper order. For one situated in the midst of water, purification is prescribed; within the water, one recites the mantra and the Aghamarṣaṇa three times. Thus, the daily observances and the sacred procedure of bathing are established, ensuring purity in body, mind, and spirit, and invoking the blessings of the divine.