In the ancient times, all manner of beings—gods, demons, gandharvas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, and serpents—were present, each playing their part in the vast tapestry of existence. Among them, wise people, O wide-eyed one, devoted themselves to the ancestral rites, performing śrāddha with reverence and care. The ancestors, pleased by these offerings, bestowed health upon their descendants without doubt. Through the power of these rites, men found release—from the bonds of animal existence and from the wandering state of departed spirits. Those who worshipped both ancestors and gods, especially during the householder stage of life, were assured of inexhaustible merit, for their ancestors, satisfied by the śrāddha, regarded their virtue as ever-lasting. Learned ones who followed the pure, sattvic path attained the highest goal. But those who remained steeped in ignorance and darkness, deceitful and cunning, suffered torment until the end of the age. Yet even these, O beautiful one, could be rescued by the one who performed śrāddha with sincerity. Drops of water were released by the ancestors, who had reached the water-reservoir, their bodies without flesh, signifying their satisfaction. Those who performed śrāddha, pleasing the twice-born Brahmins, ensured that even ancestors dwelling in hell were released, their satisfaction becoming inexhaustible. By following the instructions of the Brahmins and giving gifts according to one’s ability, a black bull was to be offered, for it destroyed the sufferings of hell. This act satisfied the ancestors for sixty thousand years. If, O beautiful one, the mud was lifted by the horn of the bull, the ancestors were raised and taken to the realm of Soma, where they remained for sixty thousand years and sixty hundred years. Such was the dharma of householders, accompanied by sons and grandsons, for even the smallest creatures—ants and others, moving beings and birds—were affected. Thus, the householder stage was the very root of dharma, and it was there that righteousness was established. On lunar days or festivals, those who delivered their ancestors did so not by sacrifices, charity, study, fasting, ablutions at sacred places, or offerings to the fire, but through the śrāddha. The ancestors who had entered the bodies of Brahma and Vishnu departed there, and in succession, O Earth, the ancestral deities dwelled. Yet, even the gods led by Indra did not know the true nature of these rites, nor did Brahma, who had emerged by the power of my illusion. Now, O beautiful one, I shall speak of another matter concerning ancestral sacrifices. When the intention for offering was made and darbha grass spread upon the ground, the ancestors were afflicted by indigestion, for the offerings were not consumed as intended. Soma, seeing the ancestors suffering from indigestion caused by the deities, spoke to them. After Soma had spoken, the ancestors addressed him, asking that their words be heard. Those appointed at the śrāddha were satisfied by the ancestral offering. Soma then said, “Together, let us go there, so that what is best may occur.” Thus addressed, the ancestral deities followed Soma. Upon seeing the divine Pitamaha, Brahma, they quickly bowed down to the earth. The ancestors, O god, afflicted by suffering and indigestion, spoke: “Just as things that are digested perish, so do we likewise, O Pitamaha.” There, Brahma spoke words of wisdom to the lord of yogis, addressing their plight and offering guidance.