O King, listen carefully to the duties and virtues prescribed for all people, regardless of their station. Even a Shudra may give gifts and perform domestic rituals, including offerings to ancestors. For the support of servants and others, everyone may accept possessions, and approach their wives during the proper season, as is fitting. Compassion toward all beings, patience, humility, truthfulness, purity, freedom from anxiety, auspiciousness, and speaking kindly are virtues for everyone. Friendliness, non-covetousness, generosity, and absence of envy are also praised as the qualities of all common classes, O lord of men. These virtues are not only for the classes, but are general characteristics for all the stages of life as well. Now, hear about the specific duties of the Brāhmaṇa and others. The duty of a Kṣatriya is prescribed for the twice-born, and the duty of a Vaiśya is allowed in times of adversity; but the duty of a Shudra is not meant for these two. If they are able, both may abandon such duties even in distress, O King, but only in adversity should they perform them, and the duties of the classes should not be mixed. Thus, O King, I have described the duties of the classes. Now listen as I explain the duties of the orders of life. Aurva spoke: A boy who has undergone initiation, devoted to reciting the Veda, should live with his teacher, intent as a student. There, he should practice purity, good conduct, and vows, and serve his teacher faithfully. While observing these vows, he should learn the Veda with a determined mind. At both twilights, O King, he should worship the sun and fire with concentration, and then respectfully salute his teacher. When the teacher stands, the student should stand; when the teacher goes, he should follow; when the teacher is seated, he should sit below. The student must never act contrary to his teacher. He should recite the Veda only as instructed, with his mind undistracted, and always in the teacher’s presence. Only when permitted by the teacher may he eat the food he has received as alms. After his teacher has bathed, he should bathe; and he should bring water, firewood, and other necessities for the teacher at the proper times. When he has learned and mastered the Veda, and obtained permission, he should enter household life, having fulfilled his obligations to his teacher. Having obtained a wife according to the prescribed rite, and wealth by his own work, he should perform all the duties of a householder to the best of his ability. He should honor the ancestors with offerings, the gods and guests with sacrifices, the sages with food, the Veda with study, and the Creator with offspring. He should offer oblations to all beings and cherish the whole world with affection, for a man attains the worlds earned by his own actions. Even those who live on alms—wandering ascetics or students—are supported by the householder. Therefore, householdership is considered supreme. Brāhmaṇas wander the earth for the sake of reciting the Veda and bathing at sacred fords, and also to see the world. Those who have no fixed abode, who do not eat regularly, and who dwell wherever evening finds them—all are supported and originate from the householder. To such guests, O King, one should speak sweetly, welcome them, and offer gifts. To those who come to the house, one should provide a bed, a seat, and food. If a guest, whose hopes are disappointed, leaves a house, the householder gives him his sin and takes away his merit. For a householder, disrespect, pride, hypocrisy, distress, harm, and harshness are not to be approved. But the householder who properly follows this supreme rule becomes free from all bonds and attains the highest worlds. When old age comes, O King, and the householder has fulfilled his duties, he should entrust his wife to his sons and go to the forest, either alone or with her. There, living on leaves, roots, and fruits, wearing matted hair and beard, and lying on the ground, he should become a sage, receiving all guests. He should make his garments from skin, bark, or grass, and bathe three times a day. Worship of the deities, offering oblations, honoring all who come, and giving alms and offerings are proper for him. Anointing his body with forest oils is recommended, as is asceticism and endurance of heat, cold, and the like. The forest-dweller who practices this regulated conduct burns away faults like fire and attains eternal worlds. The fourth stage, that of the renunciant, is declared by the wise. Hear now the nature of that state. Having abandoned affection for sons, relatives, and wife, and free from envy, one should enter the fourth stage. He should renounce all undertakings related to the three aims of life, and be equal toward friends and others, maintaining friendliness toward all beings. Engaged in right action by speech, mind, and body toward all creatures—whether born from womb, egg, or otherwise—he should not harm anyone and should avoid all attachments. He should stay in a village for one night, in a city for five nights, and remain in such a way that neither attachment nor aversion arises in him. For the sake of sustaining life, he may eat food obtained without request, and at the proper time, go from house to house for alms among those of good conduct. Desire, anger, pride, delusion, greed, and the rest—all these he should abandon, becoming free from possessiveness. A sage who, having granted fearlessness to all beings, lives accordingly—such a one has nothing to fear from any being, anywhere. Having established the sacred fire within his own body, he offers oblations into his own mouth as the bodily fire; but a Brahmin, with offerings obtained by alms, attains the worlds of those who have kindled the funeral fire. Thus, O King, the duties and virtues of the classes and the orders of life have been revealed, guiding all toward fulfillment and the highest worlds.