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Umā said: 

1. What are those things which a man should regularly do in order to attain heaven? What should be his conduct and what holy rites should he perform? What should he give in charity? 

Maheshvara said: 

2-5. Any man coming under this category, O gentle lady, goes over to the world of gods: He should be a donor. He should honour Brahmins. The highly intelligent one should distribute edibles and foodstuffs, cooked food and drinks, clothes etc. among the poor, the distressed and the wretched. He should build places of rest and assembly chambers, sheds for giving water to travellers etc. He should dig lotus ponds. He should be pure in mind and body. He should perform daily routine of duties enjoined. He should make charitable gifts of scats, beds, vehicles, houses, jewels, money, plants, fertilc fields, young women etc. always with a tranquil mind. 

6-7. He spends a long time in heaven enjoying unsurpassed plcasures. He sports about in Nandana and other gardens rejoicing in the company of celestial damsels. O great goddess, O gentle lady, after coming down from heaven he is born among men in a highly blessed family endowed with wealth and grain, 

8. There, he will be possessed of desirable qualities. He will be joyous. The man becomes rich. He enjoys great pleasures and accomplishes great deeds. 

9. These highly blessed living beings of charitable disposition are those spoken of formerly by Brahma as men of pleasing appearance liked by all. 

10. Other men, O gentle lady, are the twice-born ones of miserly nature who do not give anything to anyone. Thosc tho- ughtless ones do not give foodstuffs even when they have them. 

11. Even after seeing the poor, the blind and the wretched mendicants, even on being requested by them, they turn away because they are gluttonous and so covetous of palatable things. 

12. They never give away money, garments, means of enjoyment, gold, cows or items of cooked food. 

13. They are highly greedy and covetous, atheists, devoid of liberal-mindedness. Men of this nature, o gentie lady, are the thoughtless ones who go to hell 

14. After the lapse of some time when they take human birth those men of deficient intellect are born in some family devoid of wealth. 

15. They are tormented by hunger and thirst. They are boycotted by the world. Devoid of any hope for the enjoyment of pleasure they keep on living their evil lives. 

16. They are born of families of inferior worldly pleasures. Those men are engrossed in spurious pleasures. O gentle lady, it is by these activities that men become devoid of wealth. 

17-22. There are other types of haughty people who are arrogant and engrossed in other activities (?). These narrow- minded people do not offer seat unto those who deserve one. These thoughtless people do not yield way unto those who deserve one. They do not honour those worthy of honour due to consecrated rites. Being thoughtless, they do not offer water for washing feet or drinking. They do not lovingly address their splendid and desirable elders in view of the fact that they are overwhelmed by greed that has increased due to their arrogance. They insult those who are worthy of honour. They slight elders. All men of this sort, O gentle lady, invariably fall into hell. If somehow those men come out of hell after many years, they take birth in the despicable family of Svapākas, Pulkasas of thoughtless despicable nature. It is in these families that those people are born who slight and insult preceptors and elders. 

23-27. A man of the following nature, O gentle lady, attains heaven: He is neither arrogant nor overwhelmed by false pride or prestige. He worships deities and guests. He is worthy of worship by the whole world. He performs obeisance. He speaks sweet words. He is pleasing to all due to his activities. He is fond of all living beings. He does not hate anyone. He has pleasing countenance. He speaks polished sweet words full of love. He offers words of welcome unto all living beings. He does not violently hit or injure anybody. He honours everyone as one deserves by good actions. He stands aside after offering the path unto one who deserves it. He worships his preceptor always. He takes pleasure in receiving guests. He worships honourable visitors. 

28-30. After his sojourn in heaven he takes birth in the mortal world in an excellent family. There he enjoys all sorts of pleasures and possesses all jewels. He gives to the deserving ones charitable gifts in accordance with their merits. He is devoted to pious rites. He is honoured by all living beings. He is bowed to by all the world. He obtains the fruits of his actions. This is the means of virtue declared by the creator himself and I have described it. 

31-33. A man of the following mode of habits and conduct falls into hell: He has a horrible habit. He is terrifying unto all animals. O splendid lady, he tortures and harasses living creatures with his hands and feet, with a rope or a stick and with clods of earth, columns or other means. His mind is bent on violence. He makes creatures suffer. He approaches living creatures making them tremble with fear. 

34-35. After the lapse of some time, if he attains human form or birth he is born in a base family overwhelmed by many kinds of sufferings. He is hated by the world. He is the lowliest among men as a result of his actions. This, O gentle lady should be understood in regard to human beings in the midst of their kith and kin. 

36-41. The other sort of man looks at all living beings with kindness. He is like a father to them. His eyes are full of fondness and friendship. He is devoid of inimical feelings. He has perfect control over his sense-organs. Being merciful he does not cause fear in the living beings. He does not kill them. He earns the confidence of all living creatures. He does not injure any living being with his perfectly controlled hands and feet. He does not cause them any harm or frighten them by means of a rope, a stick, clods of earth or weapon. The actions of the man are always splendid. A man of such habits and conduct goes to heaven. There in a divine mansion where he lives joyously like gods. If after the end of his tenure in heaven he returns to the mortal world he enjoys increasing happiness. He has less stress and strain. He is devoid of terrifying grief. He enjoys pleasures. He has no strenuous labour to undertake. He is always free from mental agony. This, O gentle lady, is the path of the good where there is no affliction. 

Umā said: 

42-45. Some of these men are observed to be clever and mightily enthusiastic. They are richly endowed with wisdom and prescience. They are intelligent and experts on the subject of wealth. Others, O lord, are evil-minded and devoid of wisdom and prescience. What is that action as a result of which a man becomes intelligent? How does a man become deficient in wisdom? O Siva, clear this doubt of mine, O lord, the most excellent one among the virtuous. Others are blind by birth. Still others, O lord, are distressed by sickness. Some men are observed to be impotent. Please tell me the reason thereof.

Mahesvara said: 

46-48. Men of the following type attain heaven: They enquire after the welfare or otherwise of the brahmins welled in the Vedas, of the persons of accomplishment coversant th virtue. They avoid inauspicious activities and resort to endid ones. In this world they attain happiness and they go heaven later. If anyone among them takes human birth he born with an extraordinary intellect. His learning is befitting the performance of sacrifices and is auspicious, 

49. Those who cast their evil eye on other men's wives are born blind due to that evil conduct. 

50. Men of sinful actions who look at a naked woman with a defiled mind become distressed due to sickness. 

51. Foolish men of evil conduct who indulge in the sexual act with beasts become deficient and defiled in wisdom as well as impotent. They become eunuchs. 

52. Men who bind animals or embrace them closely, men who defile their preceptor's bed and men who scatter their seminal discharge are born as eunuchs. 

Umā said: 

53. O the most excellent one among the gods, what is a despicable action? What is it that is not despicable, by doing which a man attains prosperity and renown? 

Maheśvara said: 

54. He who seeks the path of prosperity and asks brahmins about it, he who seeks virtue and he who yearns for good qualities attains heaven. 

55. If at any time he takes up human birth, O gentle lady, he is born highly intelligent, wise and endowed with memory. 

56. This, O gentle lady, is the path of virtue of the good. It should be followed. It is conducive to prosperity. This has been described by me for the perpetual benefit of men 'in the world. 

Uma said: 

37. There are other men of deficient wisdom who hate virtue. They do not wish to approach brahmins well-versed in the Vedas. 

38. Some men observe holy rites. They have faith and they closely adhere to the path of self-control (subjugation of sense- organs). Others are devoid of holy observances. They swerve from the path of disciplinc. They can be compared to the Räkhsasas. 

59. Still others are regular performers of holy sacrifices. There are others devoid of delusion. Tell me how they become so. What is that action as a result of which they become so. 

Mahesvara said: 

60-63. The holy scriptures, composed formerly, prescribe the limits of pious activities of the world. There are holy men who obey them as their authority. They are seen to be men of steadfast holy rites. Those who are deluded call sin by the name of virtue. They do not observe holy rites. They do not observe rules of decorum and morality. They are said to be Brahmarakshasas. If, due to the lapse of time or due to their endeavour (?) they are born as men they do become base men devoid of homas and vasatkāras. In order to clear your doubts, O gentle lady, the ocean of virtue has been expounded by me. Men may be efficient or inefficient in its observance.