an on her own servants, her friends she should
cherish with love and kindness, and her relations with great honour.

When there are many other wives besides herself, the elder wife should
associate with the one who is immediately next to her in rank and age,
and should instigate the wife who has recently enjoyed her husband's
favour to quarrel with the present favourite. After this she should
sympathize with the former, and having collected all the other wives
together, should get them to denounce the favourite as a scheming and
wicked woman, without however committing herself in any way. If the
favourite wife happens to quarrel with the husband, then the elder wife
should take her part and give her false encouragement, and thus cause
the quarrel to be increased. If there be only a little quarrel between
the two, the elder wife should do all she can to work it up into a large
quarrel. But if after all this she finds the husband still continues to
love his favourite wife she should then change her tactics, and
endeavour to bring about a conciliation between them, so as to avoid her
husband's displeasure.

Thus ends the conduct of the elder wife.

The younger wife should regard the elder wife of her husband as her
mother, and should not give anything away, even to her own relations,
without her knowledge. She should tell her everything about herself, and
not approach her husband without her permission. Whatever is told to her
by the elder wife she should not reveal to others, and she should take
care of the children of the senior even more than of her own. When alone
with her husband she should serve him well, but should not tell him of
the pain she suffers from the existence of a rival wife. She may also
obtain secretly from her husband some marks of his particular regard for
her, and may tell him that she lives only for him, and for the regard
that he has for her. She should never reveal her love for her husband,
nor her husband's love for her to any person, either in pride or in
anger, for a wife that reveals the secrets of her husband is despised by
him. As for seeking to obtain the regard of her husband, Gonardiya says,
that it should always be done in private, for fear of the elder wife. If
the elder wife be disliked by her husband, or be childless, she should
sympathize with her, and should ask her husband to do the same, but
should surpass her in leading the life of a chaste woman.

Thus ends the conduct of the