Uma said By what nature, what conduct, what deeds, and what gifts, does a man succeed in attaining to Heaven.

Maheshvara said He who has a liberal disposition, who honours Brahmanas and treats them with hospitality, who makes gifts of food and drink and clothes and other articles of enjoyment to the destitute; the blind and the distressed, who makes gifts of houses erects hall, digs wells, constructs shelters whence pure and cool water is distributed, excavates tanks makes arrangements for the free distributions of gifts every day, gives to all comers what each prays for, who makes gifts of seats and beds and vehicles, wealth, jewels and gems, houses, all kinds of corn, kine, fields and women, he who always makes these gifts with a cheerful heart, becomes a denizen, O goddess, of the celestial region.

He lives there for a long time, enjoying various kinds of superior articles. Passing his time happily in the company of the Apsaras, he sports in the garden of Nandana and other delightful regions.

After the exhaustion of his merits he falls down from the celestial region and takes birth in the order of humanity, in a rich family, O goddess, which has a large command of every article of enjoyment.

In that life he gets all articles for gratifying his wishes and appetites. Indeed, blessed with the possession of such articles, he gets riches and a wellfilled treasury.

The SelfCreate Brahman himself declared it formerly that it is even such persons, O goddess, who become highly blessed and possessed of liberal dispositions and handsome features.

There are others, O goddess, who are incapable of making gifts, Gifted with small understandings. They cannot make gifts even when solicited by Brahmanas and possessed of immense riches.

Seeing the destitute, the blind, the distressed, and mendicants, and even guests arrived at their houses, those persons always filled with the desire of pleasing the organ of taste, turn away, even when expressly solicited by them.

They never make gifts of wealth or dresses, or viands, or gold, or kine, or any kind of food. Those men who are disinclined to relieve the distress of others, who are full of cupidity, who have no faith in the scriptures, and who do not make gifts. Verily, these of little understanding, O goddess, have to sink in Hell.

In course of time, when their sufferings in Hell, terminate they take birth in the order of humanity, in poor families.

Always suffering from hunger and thirst, excluded from all decent society, hopeless of ever enjoying all goodly things, they lead wretched lives.

Born in families which are destitute of all articles of enjoyment, these men never succeed in enjoying the goodly things of Earth. Indeed, O goddess, it is through deeds that persons become wretched and poor.

There are others who are arrogant and proud for the possession of riches. Those senseless wretches never offer seats to worthy persons.

Gifted with little understanding, they do not give way to them who deserve such an honour. Nor do they give water for washing the feet to persons to whom it should be given.

Indeed, they do not honour, according to the ordinance, with gifts of the Arghya, such persons as deserve to be honoured therewith. They do not offer water for washing the mouth to such as deserve to have that honour.

They do not treat their very preceptors, when the latter arrive at their houses, in the manner in which preceptors should be treated. Living in cupidity and pride, they refuse to treat their elders and aged men with love and affection, even insulting those who deserve to be honoured and asserting their superiority over them without showing reverence and humility. Such men, O goddess, sink in Hell.

When their sufferings terminate after many years, they rise from Hell and take birth as men, in low and wretched families.

Indeed, they who humiliate their preceptors and seniors, have to take birth in such castes as those of Svapakas and Pukkasas who are greatly vile and bereft of intelligence.

He who is not arrogant or filled with pride, who is a worshipper of the deities and Brahmanas, who enjoys the esteem of the world, wiro bows to every one who deserves his reverence, who utters smooth and sweet words, who benefits persons of all castes, who is always devoted to the behoof of all beings, who does not feel hatred for anybody, who is sweet tongued, who is an utterer of sweet and cooling words, who gives way to one who deserves to have way, who worships his preceptors in the manner in which preceptors deserve to be adored, who welcomes all crcatures with proper courtesy, who does not bear ill will towards any creature, who lives, adoring elders and guests with such honors as they deserve, who is ever bent upon having as many guests as possible, and who adores all who honour his house with their presence, succeeds, O goddess, in ascending to Heaven. Upon the exhaustion of his merit, he is born as a man in a high and respectable family.

In that life he gets all articles of enjoyment in profusion and jewels and gems and every kind of riches in abundance. He gives to worthy persons what they deserve. He performs every duty and every act of virtuc.

Honoured of all creatures and receiving their respect, he obtains the fruits of his own deeds.

Even such a person acquires a high birth in this world. This that I have recited to you, was said by the Ordainer (Brahman) himself formerly.

That man who is fierce in conduct, who creates terror in all creatures, who injures other beings with hands or feet or cords or sticks, or brickbats or clods of hard clay, or other means of wounding and paining, O beautiful lady, who practises various kinds of deceit for killing living creatures or vexing them, who chases animals and causes them to tremble in fear, indeed, that man, who acts thus, is certain to sink in Hell.

If in course of time he is born as man in a low and wretched family which meets with obstacles of every kind on every side.

He is hated by all. A wretch among men, he becomes so for his own deeds.

Another, who is possessed of mercy, casts his (beings) eye on all creatures. Gifted with a friendly vision, treating all creatures as if he were their father, shorn of every hostile feeling, with all his passions under complete restraint, he never vexes any creature and never fills them with fear by means of his hands or feet which are always under his control. He inspires the confidence of all beings.

He never afflicts any creature with either cords or clubs or brickbats or clods of hard earth or weapons of any sort. His deeds are never fierce or cruel, and he is full of mercy.

One who is given to such practices and conduct, certainly ascends to Heaven. There he lives like a god in a celestial palace full of comfort.

If, upon the exhaustion of his merit, he has to take birth as a man, he becomes born as a man who has not to fight with difficulties of any kind or to meet with any fear. Indeed, he enjoys great happiness.

Happy and not compelled to work for his livelihood, he lives freed from every kind of anxiety. Even this, O goddess, is the path of the virtuous. In it there are no obstacles or afflictions.

Uma said In the world some men are inasters of inferences and the premises leading to them. Indeed, they are masters of science and knowledge, have large progeny, and are gifted with learning and wisdom.

Others, O god, are shorn of wisdom, science, and knowledge, and are marked out by folly. By what particular acts does a person become endued with wisdom?

By what acis, again, docs one become of little wisdom and distorted vision? Do you remove this doubt of mine. O you who are the foremost of all beings knowing duties.

Others there are, O god, who are blind from the moment of their birth. Others there are who are diseased and impotent. Do you, O god, tell me the reason of this.

Maheshvara said Those men who always enquire about what is for their behoof and what is to their detriment, of Brahinanas learned in the Vedas, crowned with success, and knowing all duties, who avoid all kinds of evil deeds, who achieve only such deeds as are good, succeed in ascending to Heaven after leaving this world, and enjoy great happiness as long as they live there.

Indeed, upon the exhaustion of their merit, when they take their birth in the order of humanity, they become born as men endued with great intelligence. They enjoy every kind of happiness and auspiciousness on account of that intelligence with which they are born.

Those men of foolish understandings who cast wicked eyes upon the married wives of other men, become cursed with congenital blindness on account of that sinfulness of theirs.

Those men who, moved by desire in their hearts, cast their eyes on naked women, those men of wicked acts take birth in this world to pass their whole lives in one continuous disease.

Those men of foolish and wicked acts who indulge in sexual union with women of castes different from their own, those men of little wisdom, have to take birth in their next lives as persons shorn of the virility.

Those men who cause animals to be killed and those who violate the beds of their preceptors, and those who indulge in promiscuous intercourse have to take birth in their next lives as persons shorn of manhood.

Uma said What deeds, O foremost of the celestials, are faulty, and what deeds are faultless? What, indeed, are those deeds by doing which a man succeeds in acquiring what is for your highest good?

Maheshvara said That man who is desirous of determing what is righteousness, and who wishes to acquire prominent virtues and qualities, and who always puts questions to the Brahmanas with a view to find out the path leading to his highest good, succeeds in ascending to Heaven.

If, he is born as a man, he becomes gifted with intelligence and memory and great wisdom.

This, O goddess, is the line of conduct that the pious are to follow and that is fraught with great good. I have told you of it for the behoof of human beings.

Uma said There are men who hate virtue and who are gifted with little understandings. Thcy never wish to approach Brahmanas knowing the Vedas.

There are others who observe vows and who are given to the duty of performing Shraddhas. Others, again, are destitute of all vows. They do not care for observances and are like Rakshasas in conduct.

Some there are who are given to the performance of sacrifices and some who do not care for Homa. For what deeds to men become possessed of these different natures.

Maheshvara said Through the Vedas, the limits have been laid out of all the acts of human beings. Those men who acts thus according to the authority of the Vedas, are seen to become devoted to the observance of vows.

Those men, however who being influenced by folly accept unrighteousness for its reverse become destitute of vows, transgress all restraints, and come to be considered as Brahmarakshasas. Indeed, it is these men who do not care for Homa, who never utter the Vashat and other sacred Mantras, and who come to be considered as the lowest and vilest of men.

Thus, O goddess, have I explained to you the entire ocean of duties of human beings for the sake of removing your doubts, not omitting the sins of which they become guilty.