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Vyāsa said.
In the second stage of life, the householder should live at home, with wives acquired righteously, having established the sacred fires, and being steadfast in good vows.
The sages have recognized four modes of householder life. The first is one who stores grain in a basket; next is one who stores grain in a pot.
If a person loses his means of livelihood, he should then adopt the way of living like a pigeon. Among such ways, the highest and most superior by righteousness is that which conquers people and dispels darkness.
One person performs all six duties, another performs three, one performs two, but the fourth is devoted to the Brahmasatra. Here, the householder's vows are considered great in this world. "12-235-4".
One should not cook food merely for oneself, nor should one kill animals needlessly. Whether it is a living being or not, it deserves to be ritually prepared with a Vedic formula.
One should never sleep during the day or in the early or late night; one should not eat at improper times, nor invite a woman with falsehood.
A brāhmaṇa should not remain in a house without being fed or honored; likewise, guests and those who carry offerings to gods and ancestors should always be honored.
For those who are initiated in the vow of Vedic knowledge, learned in the Vedas, who have mastered the Vedas, who live by their own dharma, who are self-restrained, performers of rites, and ascetics, both offerings to the gods and to the ancestors are prescribed as acts of honor.
Not by donkeys, nor by one who has departed, nor by one ignorant of his own dharma, nor by one who has cast away the Agnihotra, nor by a teacher who makes a sandbank.
Here, distribution among all beings is prescribed. Likewise, the householder should give (food) to those who cook.
One who eats remnants is always considered as one who partakes of nectar. The remnant of a sacrifice is called nectar; food is equal to the oblation. But one who eats the leftovers of a servant is called an eater of remnants.
He was devoted to his own wife, self-controlled, free from envy, master of his senses, and was always surrounded by priests, family priests, teachers, maternal uncles, guests, and those who sought his protection.
One is cared for by the old, the young, the sick, by physicians, by relatives, by friends, by one's mother and father, by brothers-in-law, by brother, by son, and by wife.
One should avoid disputes with one's daughter and with groups of servants. By refraining from such conversations, one is freed from all sins.
By conquering these, one conquers all worlds—there is no doubt. The teacher is the lord in Brahma-loka; the father is the master in the realm of Prajapati.
The guest is regarded as the lord in Indra's world, the priests belong to the world of the gods; the wives are among the apsarases, but in the Vaiśvadeva rite, the relatives are honored.
There are related kinsmen in all directions on the earth, mothers and maternal uncles; the old, the young, the afflicted, and the emaciated, but in the sky, there are powerful beings.
An elder brother is like a father; wife, son, one's own body, shadow, and one's own servants are close, but a daughter is considered the most pitiable.
Therefore, a wise person devoted to household duties, steadfast in dharma, and who has conquered fatigue, should always endure oppression by these without agitation.
One should not perform any actions or righteousness that are bound to material gain. Of the three ways of the householder's life, the supreme good is the highest among them.
Thus, it is said that the system of four āśramas is mutually so; all the rules spoken of them must be followed by one who desires to live.
A kingdom in which ascetics who live on stored grain, gleaned grain, or like pigeons, and those who have adopted such austere ways of life, reside—such a kingdom prospers.
He who, being free from distress, maintains these householder's duties, purifies ten ancestors, ten descendants, and grandfathers.
He attains a state similar to those who move among the worlds; or, this state is prescribed for those whose senses are controlled.
The heavenly realm is beneficial for noble-minded householders. Heaven, adorned with celestial vehicles and described in the Vedas, is beautifully blossoming.
In the heavenly realm, the foundation for householders who have self-control is a path established by Brahmā, from which liberation is attained. Upon reaching the second stage in due order, one is honored in the world of heaven.
Therefore, beyond this is the most noble hermitage, called the third stage for those who renounce the body; among forest-dwellers and householders, it is unsurpassed. Listen to this concerning those who undertake arduous bodily practices.
