After the meal, one should partake of food that is blameless, accepting it without criticism and in silence for the first five mouthfuls, for this is the nourishment of the vital energies. When the meal is finished, the person should properly rinse the mouth, whether facing east or north, and again rinse as needed, thoroughly washing the hands. With calmness and a tranquil mind, after arranging the seat, one should remember the desired deities. Prayers follow: “May fire, moved by wind, nourish the earthly element; having received space, may it digest, and may happiness be mine. May this food bring strength to me from earth, water, fire, and wind; as it is digested, may unobstructed happiness be mine. May food be nourishing for 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 arising from its digestion grant me freedom from disease in my body. Viṣṇu, the indweller of all senses and bodies, is never in vain, O Lord; by that truth, may all the food I have eaten bring me health and proper digestion. Vishnu is the eater, likewise the food, and so too its transformation; by this truth, the food I have eaten is digested.” After reciting these prayers, one should wipe the abdomen with one’s own hand and, without laziness, engage in actions that bring comfort. The day should be spent with wholesome scripture and similar recreation, never deviating from the right path. As evening approaches, one should attend to the evening twilight with concentration. At the end of the day, when the sun is with the eastern stars, the mouth should again be properly rinsed, and the evening twilight observed as is appropriate. Attendance at both twilights—morning and evening—is prescribed at all times for a king, 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, one should rise before sunrise and attend to the morning twilight, and, if asleep at sunset, attend to the evening twilight upon waking. Those who neglect either the morning or evening twilight, O king, are wicked and go to the dark hell. Again, having prepared the offering in the evening, the householder should present the bali offering with the wife’s mantra for the sake of the deities called Vaiśvadevas. Food should also be given in the same way to outcastes and others. If a guest arrives at that time, the wise should honor him according to their ability—with foot-washing, a seat, respectful greeting, and then by giving food and a bed. If a guest departs during the day without being received, the sin incurred is eightfold when the guest departs at sunset without being received. Therefore, a guest should be honored at sunset according to one’s ability; when he is honored, all the deities are honored. A man should honor him according to his ability with food, vegetables, and water, or 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. He should not lie on a bed that is too large, broken, uneven, dirty, made of living beings, or lacking bedding. It is best to sleep with the head to the east or south; sleeping otherwise brings disease. Approaching one’s wife at the proper season is recommended, at an auspicious time under the 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 emaciated by hunger, who has eaten excessively, or who is endowed with these faults oneself. Having bathed, adorned with garlands and fragrance, pleased in mind, not bloated nor hungry, with desire and affection—thus should a man approach intercourse. The fourteenth day, the eighth day, the new moon, and the full moon—these are sacred occasions, as is the sun’s passage into a new sign. A man who indulges in oil, meat, or intercourse on all these occasions surely goes, upon death, to the hell called Viṇmūtra-bhojana. Therefore, on all such sacred days, the wise and self-controlled should engage in study of true scriptures, worship of the gods, meditation, and recitation. One should not approach a woman of another species, nor in an improper place, nor after taking medicine; nor should intercourse occur with the wives of twice-born, gods, or teachers, nor in a place of ascetic practice. Not at shrines, crossroads, cattle pens, cremation grounds, groves, or in water, should intercourse take place. On the remaining sacred days and at twilight, one should not engage in intercourse, nor when pressed by the urge to urinate or defecate, even in thought. Intercourse on sacred days brings misfortune; by day, it gives sin; on the ground, it brings disease to men; in water, it is considered blameworthy. One should never, even in thought, approach another man’s wife; what need to say by word or deed? For those who do so, there is no bond of righteousness. Such a man, upon death, goes to hell and even in this life his lifespan is diminished; union with another’s wife brings fear both here and hereafter. Knowing this, the wise man should approach his own wife at the proper season, free from the faults described, with desire, even if not in the fertile period. Aurva then spoke: One should honor the gods, cows, brahmins, perfected beings, elders, and teachers; bow to the twilight twice daily and serve the sacred fires accordingly. A man should always wear unsoiled garments, use excellent herbs, and, with devotion, wear gems of the Garuḍa class. Thus, the householder’s conduct is prescribed, guiding one to a life of righteousness, devotion, and purity.