Atri spoke first, his voice clear and steadfast. “We are not dull-minded nor weak in intellect,” he said. “We know these are golden, for we are awakened and wise.” He referred to the golden objects before them, recognizing their value but seeing beyond mere material allure. “Here, these bring delight to those seeking wealth in this world; after death, they lead to Vaikuntha. But anyone desiring lasting happiness should not accept them.” Atri continued, warning, “If someone accepts a coin multiplied a hundredfold and joined with a thousand, but from another source, he attains the most sinful fate.” He reminded the assembly that even all the rice, barley, gold, cattle, and women on earth would not suffice for one person’s desires. “Therefore, seek contentment,” he advised. Vasiṣṭha then spoke, contrasting the paths of austerity and wealth. “The accumulation of austerity belongs to one, and the accumulation of wealth to another. Here, the accumulation of austerity is superior.” He explained, “When one abandons all accumulations, troubles perish; for no one with accumulations is seen to be free from afflictions.” Vasiṣṭha emphasized that the more a Brahmin refrains from accepting improper gifts, the more his Brahminical radiance grows through contentment. He weighed poverty and kingship, stating, “For one who seeks the welfare of the self, poverty is greater than kingship.” Kaśyapa then declared, “For a Brahmin, the great accumulation of wealth is a misfortune.” He warned that a Brahmin deluded by prosperity falls from excellence; wealth leads to delusion and even to hell. “Therefore, one seeking the highest good should renounce wealth, known as misfortune, from afar. For one whose pursuit of wealth is for dharma, non-pursuit is greater.” He added, “It is better to avoid touching mud from a distance than to wash it off; the dharma achieved by wealth is perishable.” Bharadvāja spoke next, describing renunciation for the sake of another, accompanied by loss, as the mark of liberation. He noted, “Hair and teeth decay as one ages, but the desire for wealth and the desire for life do not decay. The eyes and ears decay, but thirst alone remains without affliction.” He likened worldly craving to a tailor drawing a thread through cloth with a needle, and compared it to a horn growing on a beast, endless and insatiable, bringing hundreds of sorrows. “Since it is full of unrighteousness,” he concluded, “one should therefore avoid it.” Gautama posed a question: “Who, being content, cannot overcome even the fruits of action?” He explained that greedy, restless senses lead to difficulties, but for the content mind, prosperity is found everywhere. “For one whose feet are covered by sandals, it is as if the whole earth is covered in leather; such is the happiness of those satisfied by the nectar of contentment, whose minds are at peace.” He asked, “How can such happiness exist for those greedy for wealth, whose minds run here and there? Discontent is the greatest misery; contentment is the highest happiness.” Therefore, he advised, “A person who seeks happiness should always remain content.” Viśvāmitra reflected on desire. “If a desire is fulfilled for one who longs for pleasure, then another desire strikes him again like an arrow; never does desire become satisfied by enjoyment. Like a fire fed with ghee, it only grows stronger; a man, deluded by longing for desires, does not attain happiness.” He likened the pursuit of enjoyment to a partridge entering the shade of a tree where a hawk dwells, warning that even if one enjoys the earth up to its four oceans, happiness will not be found. “He who has achieved his purpose even once is equal to one for whom stone and gold are the same—not a king.” Jamadagni spoke: “Even if capable of accepting gifts, he who does not accept them attains those eternal worlds reserved for the charitable; but a Brahmin who desires wealth from a king is to be pitied by the great sages. Such a deluded soul does not see the fear of torment in hell; even if capable of accepting gifts, one should not become attached to receiving them.” He explained that by accepting gifts, the Brahmin’s spiritual power diminishes; but for those capable of accepting who refrain, the worlds attained by givers are also attained by non-receivers. Arundhati added, “Just as a lotus fiber always remains in water, so too is craving, endless and ever-present in the body; it is hard to abandon for the foolish, and does not decay even as the body decays. That craving is like a terminal disease; happiness comes to the one who abandons it.” Then the Caṇḍāla spoke, “Because I fear those who are stronger than myself, O great gods, I am afraid of those more powerful and also of the weak.” The Friend of Animals concluded, “That alone should be done by the wise, who desire their own welfare.” Having spoken thus, the sages relinquished the golden embryos, abandoning those fruits. All the sages, steadfast in their vows, departed and wandered until they reached the middle Puṣkara. There, they suddenly encountered the wandering ascetic Śunaḥsakha, who had just arrived. Together, they ventured further into the forest. Soon, they beheld a great lake covered with lotuses, a reservoir of water. Settling on its shore, they contemplated an auspicious course of action. Then Śunaḥsakha addressed the hungry sages, “Let everyone together describe what the sensation of hunger is like.” The sages replied, “With spears, swords, maces, discs, axes, and arrows—the pain caused by them, even that is overcome by hunger. With asthma, leprosy, consumption, paralysis, fever, epilepsy, and colic—the suffering caused by diseases, even that does not exceed hunger.