Shloka 16
चत्वारोऽाश्रमाः — ब्रह्मचर्यादि मोक्षाश्रमपर्यन्तम्
The Four Āśramas as a graded path to mokṣa
अवज्ञानम् अहंकारो दम्भश् चैव गृहे सतः परितापोपघातौ च पारुष्यं च न शस्यते
avajñānam ahaṃkāro dambhaś caiva gṛhe sataḥ paritāpopaghātau ca pāruṣyaṃ ca na śasyate
لمن يقيم في حياة البيت، لا يُستحسن ازدراءُ الناس ولا الكِبر ولا الرياء؛ ولا الأفعال التي تُورِث ألماً أو أذى، ولا غِلظةُ القول والسلوك—فلا مكان لها في بيتٍ قائمٍ على الدَّرما.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
FAQs
This verse frames the home as a dharmic arena: contempt, ego, hypocrisy, harm, and harshness undermine the household’s role in sustaining social order and spiritual progress.
Parāśara lists inner faults (avajñāna, ahaṃkāra, dambha) and outward harms (paritāpa, upaghāta, pāruṣya) to show that dharma requires both purified intention and non-injurious behavior.
Even without naming Vishnu, the teaching supports Vaishnava theology: living without ego, cruelty, and hypocrisy aligns the householder with Vishnu’s sustaining principle (dharma) that upholds the world.