A wise person, it is said, must always be vigilant in their conduct, especially at night. One should avoid crossroads, sacred trees, cremation grounds, and groves after dark, as well as the company of wicked women. Care must be taken never to step over the shadow of a revered deity, a Brahmin, or a lamp. It is unwise to venture alone into deserted forests or dwell in empty houses. From a distance, one should steer clear of hair, bones, thorns, impure substances, remnants of sacrifice, ashes, husks, and wet ground after bathing. It is also prudent to avoid association with non-Aryans and to shun all forms of crookedness. Approaching snakes is dangerous, and one should not stand or sit in the same place for too long. Moderation is the hallmark of wisdom. Excess in staying awake or sleeping, in bathing or sitting, in lying down or exercising—all these should be avoided. One must also be wary of animals with fangs or horns, as well as mist, headwinds, and the harshness of direct sunlight. Bathing, sleeping, or performing purification rituals should never be done while naked. Eating or worshipping the gods with loose hair is improper. When engaged in sacred acts such as sacrifice, worship, or ritual sipping of water, one should not wear only a single garment, nor recite sacred texts in such a state. The company one keeps is of utmost importance. Association with those of bad conduct should be shunned, for even a moment with the virtuous is praised. One should not seek conflict with those superior or inferior; rather, marriage and disputes should be reserved for equals in character. Quarrels should not be initiated, nor should enmity be harbored. If a slight loss occurs, it is better to endure it and renounce gains acquired through enmity. After bathing, one should not dry the limbs with the bathing cloth or with the hands, nor shake out the hair or eat immediately upon rising. It is disrespectful to step on another’s foot, to point one’s foot toward what is revered, or to sit on a higher seat in the presence of a teacher without humility. When approaching temples, crossroads, or anything auspicious and venerable, one should never walk to their left or circumambulate them in the reverse direction; always go to the right, showing proper respect. Spitting, urinating, or defecating should never be done facing the moon, sun, fire, water, wind, or anything worthy of reverence. One must not urinate while standing or on roads, nor step over phlegm, feces, urine, or blood. Expelling phlegm or mucus is improper during meals, offerings, auspicious rites, recitation, sacrifice, or when among many people. One should not look down upon women, nor place unwise trust in them, nor be jealous or speak ill of them. Before leaving the house, a person devoted to good conduct should honor those worthy of reverence with auspicious items—flowers, gems, clarified butter—and offer salutations. At crossroads, salutations should be made, and sacrifices performed at the proper times. One should uplift those in distress, serve the virtuous, and associate with the learned. Those who properly worship gods and sages, offer water and food to ancestors, and honor guests, attain the highest worlds. Speaking words that are beneficial, measured, and pleasant at the right time, and practicing self-control, one reaches realms of endless delight. Wisdom, modesty, patience, faith, and humility lead to the highest worlds, alongside those who possess knowledge, noble lineage, and age. During untimely thunder, on festival days, times of impurity, and during eclipses, study should be suspended. He who calms the angry, is free from enmity toward relatives, consoles the fearful, and is virtuous—such a one finds even heaven a small reward. In rain or sun, one should carry an umbrella; at night or in the forest, a staff; and always wear footwear for protection. When walking, one should not gaze upward, sideways, or far ahead, but watch the ground a yoke’s length before them. By completely avoiding all causes of fault, a self-controlled person never suffers loss of virtue, wealth, or desire. Even among the wicked, the learned and disciplined remain unstained, speak kindly to the harsh, and, with a heart full of friendship, keep liberation within their grasp. Those free from passion, anger, and greed, established in good conduct, sustain the earth itself by their presence. Therefore, truth should be spoken when it brings joy, but if it causes pain, silence is better. If something pleasant is not beneficial, it should not be said; beneficial words, even if unpleasant, are best. For the welfare of all beings, both now and hereafter, one should act, think, and speak with discernment. Aurva then spoke: When a son is born, the father, still clothed, should bathe and perform the birth rite, as well as the auspicious śrāddha. He should honor and feed pairs of gods, ancestors, and twice-born men with focused mind, avoiding distraction. With curds, unbroken rice, and barley, facing east or north, he should offer balls of food with water for the deities, or with his own body. By this śrāddha, the group of ancestors called Nāndīmukha is pleased; this should be performed at all times of increase. At weddings of daughters and sons, at the entering of a new house, at the naming of children, and at the first cutting of hair and similar rites, as well as at the parting of hair and the first sight of sons and others, the householder should, with devotion, worship the Nāndīmukha ancestors. Thus has the order of ancestor worship, the ancient custom, been described. Now, O protector of the earth, listen to the procedure for funeral rites.