The gods, Gandharvas, Siddhas, and all celestial beings continually honor him with games, aerial chariots, and unwavering devotion to the ancestors. Their praises resound in the heavens, for those who are devoted to the ancestors and perform the prescribed rites on the new moon day find all their desires fulfilled. Through their actions, the ancestors receive direct worship and are ever content. The Maghā constellation holds a special place in these observances, for the ancestors themselves are its deities. Because of this, Maghā is considered imperishable, and the wise especially choose this day to perform ancestral rites. The ancestors themselves always yearn for the time of Maghā, and those who are devoted to the deities of the ancestors, performing their rites with faith, are said to attain the highest state. Bṛhaspati then spoke: “Listen as I recount in detail the śrāddha rituals that Yama once taught to Śiva, each aligned with the lunar constellations. When a man performs śrāddha during Kṛttikā, having established the sacred fire, he is blessed with sons and freedom from illness. If one desires offspring, let him perform śrāddha under Rohiṇī, when the moon is gentle, and he will gain vigor. For those whose ancestors performed harsh deeds, the rite is best done under Ārdrā. “By performing śrāddha under Punarvasu, a person gains land, daughters, abundant wealth, grain, and is surrounded by sons and grandsons. If satisfaction is sought, śrāddha under Puṣya brings contentment; and worshipping the ancestors under Āśleṣā grants heroic sons. “He who performs śrāddha under Maghā becomes foremost among his kin, while under Phalgunī, good fortune is attained. Performing the rite under the Uttaras, with proper conduct and sons, makes one eminent among the virtuous; and satisfying the ancestors under Hasta brings the status of chief. “Śrāddha performed under Citrā yields handsome sons; under Svāti, it brings the company of the learned. If one desires sons, śrāddha under Viśākhā is recommended, and under Anurādhā, prosperity begins to flow. “By always performing the rite under Jyeṣṭhā, one attains lordship and excellence. Under Mūla, health is desired; under Āṣāḍhā, great fame is won. Performing śrāddha during Uttarāṣāḍhā and Śravaṇā brings freedom from sorrow, and in Śravaṇā, one attains the highest state among the virtuous. “Under Dhaniṣṭhā, abundant wealth and a share in sovereignty are granted; in Abhijit, one gains the fruit associated with the Ajāvika path. By performing the rite under the Vāruṇī constellation, mastery in medicine is attained; in Pūrvā Proṣṭhapadā, again, the Ajāvika fruit is gained. “By performing the rite during the Uttarā constellations, one obtains thousands of cows; in Revatī, wealth of many forms; in Aśvinī, horses; and in Bharaṇī, supreme longevity. “Through this sacred śrāddha rite, Śaśabindu once gained dominion over the entire earth. Having obtained all, he praised the greatness of this rite.” Thus concludes the chapter describing the fruits of śrāddha according to the constellations, as spoken by Vāyu. Śaṃyu then asked, “O best of speakers, even a small offering to the ancestors brings benefit. But what leads to long-lasting or eternal results?” Bṛhaspati replied, “Hear from me the offerings known by the learned to be proper at the time of śrāddha, and the fruits each brings. By offering sesame, rice, barley, black gram, water, roots, and fruits, the grandfathers are pleased for a month. With fish, their satisfaction lasts two months; with deer meat, three months; with hare, four months; and with bird, five months. With boar, they are pleased for six months; with goat, for seven; and with partridge, for eight months. “With ruru deer, satisfaction lasts for nine months; with wild ox, ten months. Tortoise meat brings contentment for eleven months, but know that with cow’s meat at śrāddha, satisfaction lasts a full year. Likewise, rice cooked with cow’s milk, honey, and ghee, or the meat of vadhrīṇasa, brings satisfaction for twelve years. “For endless satisfaction, offerings of swordfish meat at the waning of the ancestors, as well as black goat and monitor lizard, are suitable for eternity. “On this subject, the knowers of old recite the songs of the ancestors, which I shall now declare to you. ‘May one be born in our lineage who gives food on the thirteenth day, rice cooked with honey and ghee, or in the shade of an elephant. By offering goat or all kinds of meat, and in the rainy season or under the Maghā constellation, many sons are to be desired—even if only one goes to Gayā, or marries a fair wife, or releases a blue bull.’ Śaṃyu then asked, “O father, tell me the fruits of Gayā and other sacred places, and what merit accrues to the ancestors.” Bṛhaspati replied, “At Gayā, the śrāddha, recitation, offerings, and austerities are imperishable. That is why, for the ancestors, Gayā is known as imperishable. A son born from Gaurī purifies twenty-one generations, and again and again, he purifies six maternal grandfathers—such is the declared fruit of her blessing. “Now, hear the fruit of the bull. The one who releases a bull surely purifies ten generations before and ten after. Whatever is touched by the water that has washed the bull and fallen on the earth, that act of releasing the bull is said to be imperishable for the ancestors. Whatever water is touched by the bull, even by its tail and other limbs, all of that becomes imperishable for his ancestors—there is no doubt. “Wherever the bull marks the ground with its horns or hooves, there the ancestors become imperishably satisfied by the honeyed offerings. As the scriptures say, by a tank measuring a thousand reeds, the ancestors are satisfied, but the satisfaction from the bull is said to be even greater.” Thus, the wisdom of the śrāddha, its fruits, and the glory of honoring the ancestors are revealed, bringing blessings to all who follow these sacred ways.