and among temples of deities.  They may go to towns or villages for residence.  In a town, however, they should not live for more than five nights, while in a village their residence should never exceed one night.  Entering a town or a village, they should, for the support of life, repair to the abodes of only Brahmanas of liberal deeds.[581] They should never ask for any alms except what is thrown into the (wooden) bowls they carry.  They should free themselves from lust, wrath, pride, cupidity, delusion, miserliness, deceit, slander, vanity, and injury to living creatures.  On this subject there are some verses:  that person, who, observing the vow of taciturnity, roveth without giving any creature cause of fear, is never inspired with any fear himself by any creature.  That learned person who performs the Agnihotra (not by kindling of, external fire but) with the aid of the fire that is his own body, indeed, who poureth libations into his own mouth and upon the fire that exists in his own body, succeeds in attaining to numerous regions of felicity in consequence of that fire being fed with such libations obtained by a life of eleemosynation.  That person of regenerate birth who observes in the aforesaid way this mode of life having Emancipation for its end, with a pure heart and with an understanding freed from resolution, attains to Brahma after the manner of a tranquil ray of light that is not fed by any blazing fuel.’

“Bharadwaja said, ’Beyond this region (that we inhabit) there is a region that we have heard of but never seen.  I desire to know all about it.  It behoveth thee to describe it to me.’

“Bhrigu said, ’Towards the north, on the other side of Himavat, which is sacred and possessed of every merit, there is a region that is sacred, blessed, and highly desirable.  That is called the other world.[582] The men that inhabit that region are righteous in act, pious, of pure hearts, freed from cupidity and errors of judgment, and not subject to afflictions of any kind.  That region is, indeed, equal to heaven, possessed as it is of such excellent attributes.  Death comes there at the proper season.  Diseases never touch the inhabitants.[583] Nobody cherishes any desire for the wives of other people.  Every one is devoted to his own wife.  These people do not afflict or kill one another, or covet one another’s things.  There no sin occurs, no doubt arises.[584] There the fruits of all (religious) acts are visible.  There some enjoy seats and drinks and viands of the best kind, and live within palaces and mansions.  There some, adorned with ornaments of gold, surround themselves with every article of enjoyment.  There are, again, some that eat very abstemiously, for only keeping body and soul together.  There some, with great toil, seek to hold the life-breaths.[585] Here (in this region that is inhabited by us), some men are devoted to righteousness and some to deceit.  Some are happy and some miserable; some are poor and