O King, listen attentively to the ancient way of living, as spoken in the sacred tradition. When it is time to eat, one should not do so while wearing many garments, nor with hands or feet still wet. With a face washed and purified, and a cheerful heart, one may partake of food, but never while facing an improper direction. It is best to sit facing east or north, and to keep the mind attentive, not wandering elsewhere. The food should be wholesome, suitable to one’s nature, and sprinkled with purifying water. Never should one eat food that has been brought with contempt or prepared in a way that causes disgust. Before eating, the householder should first give a portion to his disciples and to those who are hungry. The twice-born should eat from a clean and appropriate vessel, keeping anger far from their hearts. Food should not be taken from a vessel set upon sand, nor in an improper place, nor at an unsuitable time, nor in a crowded spot. Only after offering the first portion to fire may one begin to eat. The food should be consecrated with sacred mantras, wholesome, and never stale—except in the case of fruits, roots, dried branches, and similar items. Likewise, with the exception of haritaki fruits and sweet preparations made with jaggery, one should eat only the best, most essential portions of food, never otherwise. A discerning person avoids eating leftovers, except for honey, water, ghee, and flour preparations. When eating, one should become absorbed in the act, beginning with sweet tastes, then savoring salty and sour flavors in the middle, and ending with pungent, bitter, and other such tastes. Liquid food is to be taken first, then solid food, and again liquid at the end; in this way, strength and health are preserved. One should eat blameless food, never criticizing it, and maintain silence for at least five mouthfuls, for this is the nourishment of the vital energies. After eating properly, one should rinse the mouth, whether facing east or north, and then rinse again as appropriate, washing the hands thoroughly. With a calm and tranquil mind, having arranged one’s seat, one should remember the deities that are dear to the heart. Then, let one pray: “May fire, moved by wind, nourish the earthly element; having received space, may it digest, and may happiness be mine. May this food bring me strength from earth, water, fire, and wind; as it is digested, may unobstructed happiness be mine. May this food nourish my prāṇa, apāna, samāna, udāna, and vyāna; may unobstructed happiness also be mine. May Agastya, fire, and the submarine fire digest the food I have eaten; may the happiness that arises from its digestion grant me freedom from disease in my body. Viṣṇu, who dwells within all senses and bodies, is never in vain; by that truth, may all the food I have eaten bring me health and proper digestion. Viṣṇu is the eater, the food, and its transformation; by this truth, the food I have eaten is digested.” Having recited these prayers, one should gently wipe the abdomen with one’s own hand and, without laziness, engage in actions that bring comfort and ease. The day should be spent with wholesome scripture and suitable recreation, never straying from the righteous path. As evening approaches, one should prepare for the twilight worship with full concentration. At day’s end, when the sun is among the eastern stars, one should, after properly rinsing the mouth, attend to the evening twilight as is appropriate. It is prescribed that a king, or indeed anyone, should attend to both the morning and evening twilight at all times, except in cases of impurity due to birth or death, confusion, illness, or fear. If one, though healthy, neglects the twilight worship at sunrise or sunset, expiation must be performed. Therefore, O King, one should rise before sunrise and attend to the morning twilight. If one is asleep at sunset, the evening twilight should be observed upon waking. Those who neglect both the morning and evening twilight, O King, are said to be wicked and destined for the dark hell. In the evening, after preparing the offering, one should present the bali offering with the wife’s mantra, for the sake of the deities known as the Vaiśvadevas. There too, food should be given in the same way to outcastes and others in need. If a guest arrives at this time, the wise householder should honor him according to his ability—by washing his feet, offering a seat, greeting him respectfully, and then providing food and a bed. If a guest departs during the day without being received, the sin is great; but if he departs at sunset without being received, the sin is eightfold. Therefore, O King of kings, one should honor a guest at sunset to the best of one’s ability, for when a guest is honored, all the deities are honored as well. The guest should be received with food, vegetables, water, or, if possible, with the gift of a bed, a mat, or even land. After cleansing the feet and so on, and having eaten in the evening, the householder should go to bed, even if it is a simple wooden one. One should not lie on a bed that is too large, broken, uneven, dirty, made of living beings, or without proper bedding. It is best to sleep with the head to the east or south; sleeping otherwise brings disease. At the proper season, one may approach one’s wife, at an auspicious time under a male constellation, on nights when Jyeshtha and other paired stars are present. One should not approach a woman who is too young, ill, menstruating, inauspicious, angry, frightened, or pregnant. Nor should one approach a woman who is not one’s wife, who is desired by another, who is unwilling, who is weakened by hunger, who has overeaten, or if one is oneself afflicted by these faults. Before intimacy, a man should bathe, adorn himself with garlands and fragrance, be pleased in mind, neither bloated nor hungry, and approach with desire and affection. The fourteenth and eighth days of the lunar fortnight, the new moon, the full moon, and the sun’s entry into a new sign are all sacred occasions, O King. A man who indulges in oil, meat, or intercourse on any of these sacred days, upon death, surely goes to the hell known as Viṇmūtra-bhojana. Thus, O King, are the daily practices and observances prescribed for the householder, that he may live in harmony with dharma, health, and happiness.