He who uplifts his lineage, guiding countless millions of his ancestors, leads them all to the exalted state of Shiva. Freed from the weight of sins accumulated over ten thousand births, he himself attains that supreme state. Accompanied by innumerable generations of his family, he journeys to the sacred abode of Vishnu. There, having worshipped and been cleansed of all impurity, he dwells in Vishnu’s radiant city for an entire age. By his devoted worship, O great king, he reaches the divine realms that correspond to his merits. Even the simple act of offering incense with devotion releases a man from all sins. Through the act of giving, O best of kings, a person attains all that his heart desires. Freed from every stain of sin, he receives the fruit equivalent to bathing in the holy Ganges. Now, hear of the great reward that comes from offering a lamp to the mighty Vishnu—a reward that is also dear to Shiva. The giver of the lamp attains the divine realms, taking with him three generations of his ancestors. By the act of giving, he reaches the highest state, accompanied by forty generations of his lineage. He enters Vishnu’s abode, a place from which return to mortal existence is most rare. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a gift equal to that of food and water. For, O best of kings, the fruit of all other gifts is encompassed in the giving of food. The scriptures declare that one who gives food does not return to the cycle of birth and death. The teachers of the Veda have pronounced the giving of food as supreme, and the lotus-born Brahma himself has said that giving water frees one from all bonds. Therefore, O lord of the earth, understand that the giver of food is truly the giver of life. Indeed, O king of kings, there is no gift that matches the giving of food. The messengers of Yama, the lord of death, do not even see such a person; thus, the giver of food stands supreme. Such a one is as though he has bathed in all sacred waters, with the bath in the Ganges being the foremost. He is purified for over eight hundred lifetimes in the Ganges—there can be no doubt of this. Joined by a multitude of his family members, he dwells in the city of Vūhya for an age. For him, Vishnu, with a gracious heart, fulfills every wish. All his desires are attained, and he is utterly freed from all sins. The lord of the gods, pleased with his merits, bestows upon him his own divine realm. He attains the rare and exalted abode of Brahma, difficult to reach for others. O learned one, the merit and fruit of his actions are beyond even my ability to describe. Ultimately, he himself becomes Rudra, O king, entirely free from all sin. Even with hundreds of years, no one could fully enumerate the extent of his merit. On one side stand all the sacrifices, each complete with the finest gifts. Yet greater still is he who protects a Brahmin afflicted by fear. The giver of cloth reaches the abode of Rudra; the giver of a maiden attains the realm of Brahma. One who, having adorned a maiden, gives her in marriage to a knower of spiritual truth—especially on the full moon of Kārtika or Āṣāḍha, O king—becomes freed from all sin acquired even in noble births and attains the very form of Rudra. He who marks a buffalo with the sign of the Shiva-liṅga and releases it, he who gives betel according to his ability, O best of kings, he who gives sugarcane journeys to the abode of Brahma. And one who gives jaggery or sugarcane juice attains the blissful ocean of milk. Such are the fruits of these sacred acts, O king, as spoken by the wise and revealed in the scriptures.