Listen, O beautiful one, to the revered ways of honoring the ancestors. The food that is offered in ancestral rites must be pure, untouched by the gaze of dogs, cocks, or pigs, and also unseen by those who perform all kinds of work indiscriminately or by men who partake of anything without discernment. If the śrāddha, the sacred ancestor offering, is seen by such beings, then that śrāddha is considered demonic in nature. Recall the time when Viṣṇu, in his great stride for the sake of Śakra, took the three worlds. In the same way, the wise should avoid such impurity in their ancestral offerings. In these sacred rites, one must invoke the ancestors upon the earth with the proper mantras and procedures. The father, the grandfather, and the great-grandfather are to be remembered. With deep reverence, one bows the head before the goddesses and the custodians of the offering. In this way, the ancestors are truly pleased by the offerings made to them—there can be no doubt about this. O lovely one, know that three have arisen from the very body of the gods. Among the gods, demons, gandharvas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, and serpents, those who are wise and perform the ancestral rites with devotion are especially blessed. The ancestors, pleased by such offerings, bestow health upon the devotee without question. Through these rites, men are released from the lower states of existence, such as rebirth as animals or as wandering spirits. The householder who, at all times, worships both the ancestors and the gods, finds that his ancestors, satisfied by the śrāddha offerings, regard his merit as inexhaustible. Those who are learned and follow the pure, sattvic path attain these blessed results. Even those who are enveloped in ignorance and darkness, who are deceitful and cunning, may be rescued by the merit of such a one, even if they endure suffering until the end of the age. Consider, O wide-eyed one, that when the ancestors reach the water-reservoir without flesh, they release drops of water. Those who perform śrāddha and satisfy the twice-born Brahmins, even if their ancestors are in hell, are able to release them, and the satisfaction granted to the ancestors becomes inexhaustible. By following the guidance of the Brahmins and giving gifts according to one’s ability, the householder may also offer a black bull, which destroys the sufferings of hell. Through this act, the ancestors are satisfied for sixty thousand years. If, O beautiful one, the bull lifts the mud with its horn, having thus lifted the ancestors, they ascend to the realm of Soma, and remain there for sixty thousand years and six hundred more. This, O beautiful one, is the dharma of householders, who are blessed with sons and grandsons. All creatures, from ants and other beings, to moving creatures and birds, are encompassed within this household dharma. Thus, the householder stage is the very root of righteousness; dharma is established there. On special lunar days or festivals, those who perform these rites deliver their ancestors. Not by sacrifices, nor by charity, study, fasting, ablutions at sacred places, or even by offerings into the fire, can this be accomplished. The ancestors who have departed, who have entered the bodies of Brahma and Viṣṇu, are thus delivered. In this way, O Earth, the ancestral deities have dwelled in succession. Even the gods, with Indra at their head, do not fully know the depth of this mystery. Nor does Brahma himself, who has emerged by my power of illusion, comprehend it completely. Now, O beautiful one, listen as I speak of another matter concerning ancestral sacrifices. When one makes the intention for the offering and spreads darbha grass upon the ground, if the rites are not performed with care, the offerings may be afflicted by indigestion and remain unconsumed, O lovely one. Thus, the path of honoring the ancestors is subtle and profound, and must be followed with the utmost purity, devotion, and understanding.