Listen, O noble one, to the sacred account of giving and worship, as revealed in the scriptures. It is well known that when a brāhmaṇa devoted to Śiva is offered a gift, that gift leads the giver to the abode of Kailāsa. For this reason, all people desire to give, each seeking the enjoyment of their own cherished worlds. If, on a Sunday, a person offers ten times the usual amount of food to a brāhmaṇa, he will enjoy ten years of good health in his next life. Such giving is not merely about the food itself, but is accompanied by great respect: inviting the brāhmaṇa, anointing him, washing his feet, offering garments, worship with fragrances, and presenting ghee, cakes, and sweets. Six-flavored dishes, vegetables, betel, gifts both small and great, salutations, escorting the guest, and the tenfold gift of cooked food—all these acts together complete the offering. Should one offer tenfold food to ten brāhmaṇas on a Sunday, the fruit is a hundred years of health. On Monday and other days, the result of giving food depends on the virtue and sanctity of each day, yielding benefits both in this world and the next. If one gives tenfold food to ten brāhmaṇas on each of the seven days of the week, the result is a hundred years of health and other blessings. If, on a Sunday, a hundred brāhmaṇas are so honored, the giver enjoys a thousand years of health in the world of Śarva (Śiva). In the same way, by giving to a thousand, one earns ten thousand years of such enjoyment; and on Monday and the other days, the wise should understand the results accordingly. By feeding thousands of brāhmaṇas whose minds are purified by the recitation of the Gāyatrī on a Sunday, one attains health and happiness in the world of truth. If one gives to ten thousand, he reaches the world of Viṣṇu; but by feeding a hundred thousand, he attains the world of Rudra. The intention behind giving is important too. Those seeking knowledge should offer food to children, contemplating Brahma. Those desiring sons should feed youths, keeping Viṣṇu in mind. For wisdom, food is to be given to elders, with the thought of Rudra; and for intelligence, to boys and women, with Sarasvatī in mind. Those who desire enjoyment should feed young women, contemplating Lakṣmī; those seeking self-realization should feed elderly women, with thoughts of Pārvatī. The purity of wealth used in giving is also significant. Wealth gained through ascetic practice, alms, or as a teacher’s fee is pure and yields the best results. Pure gifts received are considered middling, while wealth from agriculture or trade is lesser. For Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas, wealth earned through valor or trade is best; for Śūdras, wealth from service is most suitable. For righteous women, wealth inherited from father or husband is proper, and gifts such as cows, especially on the twelfth day or in spring, are auspicious. At auspicious times, one may give cows, land, gold, clarified butter, garments, grains, and jaggery to fulfill wishes. Silver, salt, gourds, twelve maidens, and cows are also prescribed; and when giving a cow, one should also give its milk and dung for full benefit. Such acts remove misfortunes, whether they be poverty, lack of grain, water, or oil. For bodily protection and nourishment, milk, curd, and ghee are to be given. The gift of land establishes one both here and hereafter; sesame seeds give strength and are said to conquer death. Gold increases digestive fire and vigor; ghee nourishes, cloth bestows long life, grain and food bring prosperity, jaggery gives sweet nourishment, silver increases vitality, and salt fulfills the six tastes. Gourds, too, provide nourishment and enjoyment in this world and the next. The gift of a maiden in marriage brings lifelong enjoyment, as do the fruits of trees like jackfruit, mango, and wood-apple, as well as bananas, medicinal plants, pulses, and vegetables. According to the season, one should offer appropriate vegetables, condiments like black pepper and mustard, and whatever fruits are available. A wise person should also satisfy the senses—hearing, sight, and so on—by offering pleasant experiences, and should honor the directions and other deities. Taking up the Vedas and scriptures, learning them from a teacher, and understanding that actions bear fruit is called faith. Faith born of fear of relatives or kings is lesser, but even one who has nothing should worship by word or deed. Verbal worship consists of reciting mantras, hymns, and japa; bodily worship includes pilgrimage, vows, and similar acts. Whatever is offered, whether little or much, if dedicated to the deity, becomes fit for enjoyment. Austerity and charity should always be practiced, and one should provide shelter adorned with the qualities of one’s class. For the satisfaction of the gods, the wise say that giving all enjoyments brings the best results both here and hereafter. By offering with the intention of dedicating it to the Lord, one attains liberation. Whoever recites or listens to this sacred account gains right understanding and the accomplishment of knowledge. O noble one, you have asked about the procedure for worship of an earthen image, by which all desires are fulfilled. Your question is well put, for this worship bestows all the goals of life and quickly removes suffering. It destroys untimely death and even death itself; and, O twice-born, it immediately grants wives, sons, wealth, and grain to the devotee.