y at such an hour for acquiring any branch of knowledge.
The man of intelligence should never eat also at such an hour. By acting
in this way one acquires a long life. One should never perform any act in
honour of the Pitris at night time. One should not deck one's person
after finishing one's meals. One should bathe at night, if one desires
one's own advancement. One should also, O Bharata, always abstain from
the flour of fried barley at night. The remnants of food and drink, as
also the flowers with which one has worshipped the deities, should never
be used. Inviting a guest at night, one should never, with excessive
courtesy, force him to eat to the point of gratification. Nor should one
eat oneself to the point of gratification, at night. One should not slay
a bird (for eating it), especially after having fed it.[479] One
possessed of wisdom should wed a maiden born in a high family, endued
with auspicious indications, and of full age. Begetting children upon her
and thus perpetuating one's race by that means, one should make over
one's sons to a good preceptor for acquiring general knowledge, O
Bharata, as also a knowledge of the especial customs of the family, O
monarch. The daughters that one may beget should be bestowed upon youths
of respectable families, that are again possessed of intelligence. Sons
should also be established and a portion of the family inheritance, given
to them, O Bharata, as their provision. One should bathe by dipping one's
head in water before one sits down to perform any act in honour of the
Pitris of the deities. One should never perform a Sraddha under the
constellation of one's nativity. No Sraddha should be performed under any
of the Bhadrapadas (prior or later), nor under the constellation
Krittika, O Bharata. The Sraddha should never be performed under any of
those constellations that are regarded as fierce (such as Aslesha, etc.)
and any of those that, upon calculation, seem to be hostile. Indeed, in
this respect, all these constellations should be avoided which are
forbidden in treatises on astrology. One should sit facing either the
east or the north while undergoing a shave at the hands of the barber. By
so doing, O great king, one succeeds in acquiring a long life. One should
never indulge in other people's calumny or self-reproach, for, O chief of
the Bharatas, it is said that calumny is sinful, whether of others or of
oneself. In wedding, one should avoid a woman that is defi