Parāśara, the revered sage, continued his discourse, describing the journey of a forest-dweller who, by practicing regulated conduct, burns away his faults like fire consuming fuel and ultimately attains eternal worlds. He then spoke of the fourth stage of life, the renunciant, as declared by the wise. Turning to King Sagara, Parāśara urged him to listen closely to the nature of this state. He explained that, in entering the fourth stage, one must abandon affection for sons, relatives, and wife, and be free from envy. All undertakings related to the three aims of life—dharma, artha, and kama—should be renounced. The renunciant must be equal toward friends and others, maintaining friendliness toward all beings. By right action in speech, mind, and body toward all creatures—whether born from womb, egg, or any other means—he should avoid causing harm and shun all attachments. Such a renunciant stays in a village for just one night, and in a city for five nights, maintaining a state where neither attachment nor aversion arises. 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 all similar faults must be abandoned, so that the wandering renunciant becomes free from possessiveness. A sage who grants fearlessness to all beings and lives accordingly has nothing to fear from any creature, 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. One who practices the prescribed path to liberation, pure, content, and composed in mind, becomes tranquil like a flame without fuel, and that twice-born soul attains the world of Brahma. King Sagara then asked the sage Aurva about the duties of the four stages of life and the actions of the four classes, seeking to hear about the rites performed by men. He requested a full explanation of the obligatory, occasional, and desire-motivated rites, recognizing Aurva’s wisdom. Aurva replied, promising to explain the rites as asked. He instructed that, for a newborn, the father should perform all birth and related rites, including the auspicious śrāddha ceremony. The father should feed Brahmins in pairs, facing east, and offer gifts to gods and ancestors for the twice-born, ensuring their satisfaction. Using curd mixed with barley and other ingredients, balls of food should be joyfully offered with sacred water to those facing the Nandi direction as a divine offering. Alternatively, the prājāpatya rite may be performed, with ceremonies conducted clockwise, especially at times of increase. On the tenth day, the father should give the child a name, beginning with a divine prefix and ending with a human one, joined with 'śarma', 'varma', or similar. 'Śarma' is prescribed for Brahmins, 'Varma' for Kshatriyas, and names indicating protection or service are proper for Vaiśyas and Śūdras. The name should not be meaningless, inauspicious, harsh-sounding, or unwholesome; it must be complete and free from reproach, neither too long nor too short, nor made of excessively heavy syllables. It should be easy to pronounce and include a syllable from the sacred praṇava. After undergoing the subsequent sacraments, the child should, according to prescribed rule, undertake the acquisition of knowledge at the teacher’s house. Having acquired knowledge and given the teacher his due fee, if he wishes to be a householder, he should take a wife. Alternatively, he may remain a celibate for a time, serving his teacher, or the teacher’s son and others, or, by his own wish, become a forest-dweller or renunciant, following his prior resolve. A man should marry a wife younger by one third of his own age, avoiding a woman whose hair is too scanty or abundant, or whose complexion is too dark or tawny. He should not marry a woman whose limbs are excessive or deficient, nor one who is impure, excessively hairy, from a mixed caste, or afflicted with disease. He should avoid marrying a wicked woman, one who speaks harshly, is deformed from birth, is the mother of a son, has a beard or masculine features, or a manly appearance. A woman with a harsh or hoarse voice, thin or crow-like voice, eyes set too close or too round, hairy shins, prominent ankles, hollow cheeks, or who laughs excessively, should not be chosen. Nor should a girl with rough skin, reddish eyes like a pigeon, thick hands and feet, be considered. He should avoid marrying a woman who is too short or tall, whose eyebrows are joined, whose teeth are widely spaced, or whose mouth is misshapen. A householder should marry a maiden from the fifth generation on the mother’s side and the seventh on the father’s side, following proper rule and law. Eight forms of marriage are recognized: Brāhma, Daiva, Ārṣa, Prājāpatya, Āsura, Gāndharva, Rākṣasa, and Paiśāca. Of these, whichever form is prescribed for his own class by the great sages, that alone should a man perform, avoiding the others. Having obtained a wife who follows the same dharma, he should enter household life together with her; this union, properly concealed, yields great fruit. Parāśara then told Maitreya that Aurva had thus spoken to the great-souled Sagara, who had inquired properly about those of good conduct. Parāśara assured Maitreya that he too had recounted all this in full, describing the supreme good conduct, and wondered who would not attain excellence by following it. Maitreya responded, saying he had understood about the six heretical sects and others, as well as those like the Udākyas, but now wished to learn about the Nagras.