When one performs a śrāddha, the sacred rite honoring the ancestors, it is prescribed that the vessels used in the ritual should first be honored and then given away with deep respect. Those who do so are blessed: fragrant breezes, the presence of mighty rivers, and many comforts attend them on their journey. Charming young women, delightful beds and seats, fertile lands, and splendid vehicles become their companions and attendants, bestowing joy and ease. A person who gives such gifts, even if only during the śrāddha, attains rewards equal to those of the grand Aśvamedha sacrifice. These offerings are especially potent and should be made with care when performing the rites for the ancestors. If, at a śrāddha, one presents vessels filled with ghee to virtuous Brāhmaṇas—honoring them properly—he is granted sharp memory and keen intelligence. The fruits of giving are manifold: the donor enjoys the merit of gifting countless jars and milch cows, and in this world, he delights in magnificent chariots and excellent vehicles. The śrāddha is a time to give generously, as much as one desires. Such giving yields the reward of a lotus; presenting a beautiful dwelling brings the fruit of a Rājasūya sacrifice. Should one offer a forest adorned with flowers and fruits, he is blessed with endless fragrance. Gifts of wells, gardens, ponds, fields, villages, and houses ensure that the giver enjoys the delights of heaven for as long as the moon and stars endure. When a bed, spread with fine coverings and adorned with jewels, is given at the śrāddha, the ancestors are deeply satisfied. The donor enjoys endless heaven, is honored by kings, and flourishes in wealth and grain. Woolen and silk garments, excellent blankets, deerskins, gold, silk cloth, braided girdles, and furs—whoever offers these to Brāhmaṇas, feeding them according to proper rites and with faith, attains the merit of a hundred Vājapeya sacrifices. Such a giver is blessed in this world with many beautiful women, sons, servants, and attendants, and remains free from disease. Gifts of silk, linen, cotton, and garments with fine borders at śrāddhas bring the fulfillment of all desires. Misfortune flees from such a person as darkness before the sunrise, and he shines in celestial palaces like the moon among the stars. Clothing itself is regarded as a universal deity, praised by all the gods. Without garments, there can be no ritual, no sacrifice, no Veda, nor austerity. Therefore, garments should especially be given at the time of śrāddha, for by this, one attains the fruits of all sacrifices, Vedas, and austerities. Whoever always gives at śrāddhas, with effort and devotion, achieves all desires and sovereignty itself. The fruits of such charity are boundless: the donor enjoys the rewards of sacrifices overflowing with every desired object. Offering cooked rice, grains, cakes, and flour mixed with ghee and sugar, as well as gruel, honey, sugarcane, milk, and milk-rice, brings the merit of an Agniṣṭoma sacrifice. Curds, pure cow’s milk, and various foods, when given at śrāddha—especially during the rainy season and under the Maghā constellation—are highly praised. Brahmins should be fed with ghee, and ghee should also be poured upon the earth. If one gives an elephant at Gaya during a śrāddha, sorrow will never touch him. By giving rice, milk pudding, clarified butter, honey, roots, fruits, and delicacies, happiness is assured both in this world and the next. Those who, with devotion, give parched grain mixed with sugar and juice—unfailingly and regularly for a year—as well as krisara and masura beans, are further blessed. Saktu, laja, cakes, kulmāṣa, and other side dishes, as well as pleasant, unctuous, and agreeable foods, should also be offered; feeding saktu with curd is especially meritorious. Whoever gives these at śrāddhas acquires inexhaustible treasure. The one who respectfully offers new grains at a śrāddha attains all enjoyments and is honored upon reaching heaven. Whoever gives all the best foods—those to be eaten, chewed, sucked, drunk, and licked—becomes foremost among men. The Vaiśvadeva and Saumya offerings, as well as the flesh of the rhinoceros, are considered supreme oblations—though the horn should be avoided, and envy regarding the rhinoceros is not approved. With joined palms, one should offer the first portion of food to guests, thus attaining the highest fruit of all sacrificial acts. Hot, unspoiled food should be quickly given to the hungry, and unctuous side dishes offered with devotion, respect, and care. The giver of food is rewarded with a radiant celestial chariot, shining like the young sun and drawn by swans, and enjoys bliss for thirty million aeons. There is no gift greater than the gift of food. From food, all beings are born and live—this is certain. There is no gift greater than the gift of life itself; all three worlds are sustained by food, and its fruits are immense. The worlds rest upon food, and this is the fruit of giving to the world. Prajāpati himself is food, and by food all creation is pervaded. Therefore, no gift has ever equaled, nor will ever equal, the gift of food. All the jewels of the earth, vehicles, and women—one devoted to the ancestors quickly attains these. With joined palms, shelter should always be given to guests; the gods themselves await such a giver, accompanied by thousands of divine guests. Whoever gives all these becomes the sole ruler of the earth; even by giving three, two, or just one of these things, happiness is assured. Charity is the highest dharma, honored and respected by all the virtuous. Indeed, the sovereignty of the three worlds is established through charity. Kings obtain kingdoms, the poor gain supreme wealth, and those devoted to the ancestors are blessed with long life. Whatever desires a person holds in his mind, his ancestors are aware of them. At this point, Bṛhaspati spoke, saying, “Now I shall explain further the honored rites of śrāddha. The śrāddha ritual is always to be performed, both for fulfilling desires and as an obligation.” He continued, “O son, know that the three aṣṭakā rites are based upon sons, wives, and wealth. The earlier half of the lunar month is considered superior, and the first aṣṭakā is known as Citrī.