O best of the twice-born, listen attentively to the sacred ways by which one may worship the Lord and attain liberation. When a devotee, after carefully smearing the ground in front of the shrine—be it to the north, south, or behind—adorns a quadrangular area with powders and offers flowers, rice, and other offerings all around, he is freed from all sins. If, with devotion, one smears the sanctum on all sides with sandalwood, camphor, and fragrant substances, scatters sweet-smelling flowers, and offers four kinds of incense while praying to Lord Ishana, that person is destined for the world of Shiva. There, in Shiva’s realm, he enjoys immense pleasures for hundreds of millions of aeons, filling the temple of Shiva with the fragrance and flowers of his own body. Afterward, he attains the Gandharva realm and is worshipped by Gandharvas, eventually returning to this world to become a mighty king. Remember, Mahadeva, the primordial god, is the cause of creation, maintenance, and dissolution; he is the all-pervading Sharva, eternal Sadashiva. The nectar of Shiva-Brahman is the supreme means to liberation, and one should always worship the Lord—manifest and unmanifest, eternal and inconceivable. Now, O best of sages, smearing in the field of Shiva must be done with water purified by cloth, for otherwise, success is not desired. Waters become pure when filtered through cloth and collected; frothy water especially should not be offered. Therefore, all divine actions should be performed with purified water for the accomplishment of all rites. If waters are mixed with subtle creatures, they must be purified by removing them, for impure water brings great sin for a long time. In sweeping, cleaning people, tending fire, pounding, and collecting water, there is always harm for householders. Thus, one should avoid causing harm, for non-harming is the highest duty for all living beings. With every effort, use water purified by cloth; the gift of such water is the most excellent of all gifts, granting fearlessness and merit. Harm must always be avoided everywhere—by thought, deed, and speech. A person should always be non-harming. All creatures protect the non-harming person and trouble the one who harms. The fruit gained by giving to a knower of the Veda is received throughout the three worlds, but the non-harming person attains that fruit multiplied a crore-fold, devoted to the welfare of all beings. Those who show the path of compassion reach the world of Rudra and, like a master, protect many and various beings. Even those who, out of affection for sons and grandsons, reach the world of Rudra; therefore, purified water must always be used with every effort. One must always perform sprinkling and especially bathing, for the fruit declared for destroying the whole three worlds is obtained. Yet, by killing even one in a temple of Shiva, one obtains the full result; for the sake of Shiva, harm to flowers is permitted, O best of twice-born. Animal sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice and punishing the wicked by kshatriyas are prescribed, but for yogis and knowers of Brahman, there is nothing prescribed or prohibited. Therefore, killing must not be done, avoiding what is forbidden. Knowers of Brahman, having renounced all actions, are detached. Women must never be killed, but always honored, even if engaged in sinful acts; all women are pure, especially those born in the lineage of Atri. Killing a woman of the Atreya lineage is a sin equal to killing a Brahmin; all women must not be killed, even if engaged in sinful acts. Women must never be taken for sacrifice by anyone, at any time, in any place, even if they are engaged in sinful acts, among all castes. Whether ugly or beautiful, or wearing dirty clothes, women must never be killed by mortals, out of reverence for Shiva. Those who follow vows outside the Veda, excluded from Vedic and Smriti rites, known as heretics, must not be spoken to by twice-born men. They must not be touched or seen; seeing them is like looking at the sun. Even so, they are to be killed by kings and other beings. O twice-born, even if a mortal comes into contact with the virtuous only once and worships the great Lord, he attains the world of Rudra. Those who lack devotion become miserable and merciless in the cycle of existence, which is the ultimate cause. But those who are devoted to Shiva, the God of gods, the Supreme Lord, are fortunate; after enjoying pleasures in this world, they are liberated. For people, whether in sons, wives, or homes, devotion as their mind inclines—even once, through association, to the Supreme Deity—makes the world of the Supreme Lord not far from them, even for great ascetics. O greatly wise one, you ask: how can mortals, weak and dull, with lifespans of a kalpa but little strength and little substance, worship the great god, the Lord of creatures? Even the gods, though they worship Shankara with austerity for thousands of years, do not see him; so how do they worship the god? What you have said is indeed true; yet, with faith, he is seen, worshipped, and spoken to. O twice-born, even those without devotion, if they worship him by chance, the Lord is said to grant results according to their disposition. If a degraded twice-born, being impure, worships, he goes to the realm of spirits; if his mind is deluded and angry, he attains the place of demons. A wicked person who worships after eating forbidden food attains the state of a yaksha; one fond of singing attains the Gandharva realm, and one fond of dancing likewise. Thus, O revered one, the ways of worship and their fruits are revealed, showing the path of devotion, purity, and compassion for all beings in the presence of the Supreme Lord.