Those who enter the forest-dweller stage of life continue to tend the sacred fires as they did before, remaining steadfast in their devotion to sacrifice. They live with discipline, moderate in their eating, and their minds are absorbed in devotion to Vishnu. During this time, their offerings to the sacred fire and all the rituals of sacrifice are performed using simple, unplowed rice, barley, wild grains, and gleaned food—whatever nature provides, not cultivated by plow. Throughout the year, they offer sacrificial food—both in the heat of summer and through the five months of winter. The forest-dweller’s life is remembered for its four traditional modes: some eat food as soon as it is found, others save it for a month, some store it for a year, and a few maintain stores for twelve years. These practices are done for the worship of guests and to fulfill the requirements of sacrifice. During the rainy season, they dwell out in the open, exposed to the elements; in winter, they subsist on water. When summer comes, they undergo the austerity of the five fires, enduring the heat as a form of penance. In autumn, they partake of nectar-like foods, and they move about the earth, sometimes standing even on their toes as an act of discipline. Whether standing or sitting—even while resting—they maintain their postures. Some prepare their food with pestles and mortars; others crush grains with stones. Their diets vary: some drink barley gruel boiled during the bright fortnight, others during the dark fortnight, and still others eat only as prescribed by the rules. Some live on roots, others on fruits, and some sustain themselves on water alone, remaining steadfast in their vows. Thus do the Vaikhānasa ascetics live in strict accordance with their prescribed order, unwavering in their discipline. Beyond these practices, there are many other forms of initiation for such resolute ascetics. Among them, the fourth path—the Upanishadic Dharma—is considered common to all. In any given age, both the forest-dweller and the householder continue their respective duties among Brahmins who perceive the true purpose of life. The tradition remembers the great sages—Agastya and the Seven Sages, Madhucchandas, Gaveshana, Samkriti, Sadiva, Bhandiryavapra, and Atharvana; and also Ahovirya, Kamya, Sthanu, Medhatithi, Budha, Manovaka, Shinivaka, Shunyapala, and Kritavrana. These wise ones, devoted to their duties, attained heaven through their actions. They were followers of the direct path of dharma, as were the groups of wandering ascetics. Having worshipped the Lord of the gods, the Brahmins who retreated to the forest—seers of subtle dharma and possessed of intense austerity—cast off all illusion. Having abandoned all delusion, these forest-dwelling Brahmins, shining like stars, departed from the world in groups. Worn out by old age and afflicted by disease, they entered the fourth ashrama—the stage of the forest-dweller—leaving behind their previous way of life. Among them, the one who performs the Sadyaska rite, having offered all the Vedas with proper gifts, becomes a sacrificer to the self: gentle in mind, delighting in the self, and taking refuge in the self. Such a one establishes the fire within himself, renouncing all possessions, and continues to perform the inner sacrifice and offerings. For those who are always sacrificers, the worship of the self arises from these sacrifices. One should properly abandon the three external fires, merging them instantly into the self by the self. Whatever comes to him—whatever is obtained or received—he consumes without disdain. One devoted to the forest-dweller’s path casts off hair, body hair, and nails, renouncing outward attachments. Passing immediately from one ashrama to another, purified by action, the twice-born who, having given fearlessness to all beings, renounces, attains liberation. Such a person’s worlds shine with light, and after death, he attains the infinite. Of good conduct and freed from all stain, he no longer desires to act, either in this world or the next. Free from anger and delusion, having abandoned all disputes, he remains indifferent, contemplating the self. He feels no distress among friends or foes, nor is his heart troubled by a lack of scripture. The sacrificer to the self attains whatever state he desires, without doubt—devoted to dharma and self-controlled. Thus established in excellent virtues, he surpasses the three earlier ashramas. The fourth, the supreme ashrama, is declared to be the highest and ultimate refuge. Having completed the rites of the previous ashramas, one may then reach the highest. Now, listen to the true action that leads to the Supreme Self: having donned ochre robes, one should remain steadfast through the three stages of renunciation. He who seeks the highest state, the unsurpassed path of wandering asceticism, must renounce all worldly conduct with that firm intention. Hear also how such a one lives. Alone, without companions, he practices righteousness for the sake of perfection. Wandering alone, with right vision, he neither abandons nor falls away from his path. Without a fire and without a fixed dwelling, he seeks alms in the village; he does not arrange for a bed and is filled with the spirit of a sage. He eats little, with regulated food, partaking of a single meal. A bowl, the roots of trees, a worn cloth, and solitude are his only companions. Indifference toward all beings marks the mendicant; words spoken to him fall as if into a deep well—dead and gone, not returning. He dwells in the hermitage of liberation, hearing and seeing nothing improper from anyone, especially among Brahmins. Only what is agreeable to a Brahmin should be spoken. When reviled, he sits in silence, applying a remedy to himself. He fills the sky with his presence, as if alone, and fills the empty space within—such a one the gods know as a true Brahmin. Whether cut by anyone, eating whatever is given, or sleeping wherever he may find shelter, the gods recognize him as a Brahmin. Like a snake, he is feared by people; like a friend, he is shunned as if from hell; like a wretch, he is avoided by women—him the gods know as a Brahmin. He neither rejoices nor grieves, whether honored or dishonored; he gives fearlessness to all beings, and the gods know him as a Brahmin. He does not delight in death nor in life; he simply observes the passage of time, like a farmer awaiting the proper season. Thus is the supreme path of renunciation and self-realization described, the highest refuge for those who have completed the earlier stages and aspire for liberation.