After bathing, one should climb onto the shadow of a dog-eater and offer him ghee, an act of humility and purification. If a person touches a human bone, purification is attained through bathing. For the grave sin of killing a cow, one must undertake a five-year vow, residing in a Brahmin’s house in penance. After such acts, the sinner should bathe and fast for the remainder of the day, then approach those wronged and sincerely seek forgiveness. Even if one emerges victorious in a dispute, the humble path is to approach the other and ask for pardon. If one has caused a Brahmin’s blood to flow, the prescribed penances are the kṛcchra and atikṛcchra, severe disciplines of body and mind. To expiate such a sin, fasting for one or three nights is required. Further, the wrongdoer must burn his tongue with a firebrand and offer gold in atonement. For the most grievous offenses, one must cut off the penis as an act of purification, or else perform the arduous Cāndrāyaṇa penance, which involves gradual fasting according to the lunar cycle. If the penis is cut off, the Cāndrāyaṇa penance must still be undertaken, and, having completed this properly, the twice-born should also perform the Prājāpatya penance. When one sees a holy person, one should gaze upon the shining one, and when remembering, meditate upon the Supreme Lord. Yet, for some sins, even a hundred years of atonement may not suffice. However, for one who sincerely seeks refuge in the Lord, freedom from sin is granted. The Cāndrāyaṇa, kṛcchra, and atikṛcchra penances, when performed according to the rules, are powerful means of purification. Worship of the deities is said to destroy all the sins of men. Feeding Brahmins brings complete freedom from all sins, as does honoring Brahmins as foremost among men. Even simply beholding the Lord in the first watch of the night cleanses one of all misdeeds. To Yama, Dharmarāja, Mṛtyu, and Antaka—lords of death and justice—one attains freedom from misdeeds by bathing in the river in the forenoon. Such vows should be performed with a calm and restrained mind. By worshiping three Brahmins, or by worshiping the Sun on the seventh day, or by offering gifts acquired over seven births, a man is freed from the taint of misdeeds. Observing the twelfth day of the bright fortnight also absolves great sins. During eclipses and similar sacred occasions, expiations for great sins are especially potent. If one observes these disciplines strictly and gives up their life, they are freed from all sins. A woman who enters the fire with her husband delivers him from sin; when all sins have arisen, she should not hesitate. Such a woman has no sin, either in this world or the next, and no one can bring about her defeat. It is thus told that the goddess Sita, wife of the descendant of Dasaratha, triumphed over the lord of the Rakshasas. Moved by the workings of time, Ravana, the ascetic, desired Sita, the wide-eyed one, and resolved to seize her. The pure-smiling Sita, seeking refuge, entered the fire, the sacred dwelling place. With joined palms, Rama’s wife approached the imperishable one as if he were her very own husband. She drew near to the burning Lord of all beings, the master in the form of time, the radiant-bodied one who abides in the hearts of all. She approached the lord of beings, clad in a tiger skin, the supreme refuge and abode.