Shloka 201
The Five Great Sacrifices: Supremacy of Honoring Parents, Pativrata Dharma, Truthfulness, and Śrāddha
श्रीभगवानुवाच । दिनैकं मासपक्षौ वा पक्षार्धं वाथ वत्सरं । पित्रोर्भक्तिः कृता येन स च गच्छेन्ममालयं
śrībhagavānuvāca | dinaikaṃ māsapakṣau vā pakṣārdhaṃ vātha vatsaraṃ | pitrorbhaktiḥ kṛtā yena sa ca gacchenmamālayaṃ
শ্ৰীভগৱানে ক’লে: এক দিন, বা এক মাহ, বা এক পক্ষ, বা অর্ধপক্ষ, বা এক বছৰ—যিয়ে পিতৃ-মাতৃৰ ভক্তি আৰু সেৱা কৰে, সিও মোৰ ধামলৈ যায়।
Śrī Bhagavān (the Lord, i.e., Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa in Purāṇic context)
Concept: Even limited-duration sincere service to one’s parents becomes a salvific dharma leading to Viṣṇu’s abode.
Application: Set a concrete vow of care—daily respectful speech, material support, and attentive presence—treating it as worship; even short, consistent periods are spiritually potent.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"In a lamp-lit household shrine, a devoted son/daughter gently serves aged parents—offering water, food, and a shawl—while a subtle divine radiance reveals Nārāyaṇa’s presence as the unseen witness. In the upper space, Vaikuṇṭha appears like a distant lotus-city, suggesting the promised destination of such service.","primary_figures":["Nārāyaṇa (subtle, visionary presence)","devoted child (householder)","mother","father"],"setting":"A simple dharmic home with a small Viṣṇu altar, tulasī pot near the doorway, and a clean dining space prepared for elders.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["sapphire blue","warm ghee-lamp gold","ivory white","tulasī green","vermillion red"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a serene domestic sevā scene—child offering pādya and a shawl to seated parents before a small Viṣṇu altar; Nārāyaṇa’s faint Vaikuṇṭha vision above in a lotus aureole; heavy gold leaf halos, rich maroon background, emerald-green borders, gem-studded ornaments on the deity icon, intricate floral motifs around the shrine.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate household interior with delicate lines—aged parents on a low wooden seat, child kneeling with a water vessel; a soft, cloud-like Vaikuṇṭha vignette in the sky; cool pastel palette, refined faces, patterned textiles, a small tulasī plant by the threshold, lyrical calm.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined figures—parents and child in respectful gesture; a stylized Nārāyaṇa aura behind the shrine icon; flat yet vibrant natural pigments, characteristic large eyes, red-yellow-green dominance with blue accents, ornamental borders like temple wall panels.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional domestic tableau framed by lotus and creeper borders; a small Śrī Viṣṇu icon at center with garlands, tulasī leaves motif; peacocks and floral patterns in the margins; deep indigo background with gold detailing, emphasizing the path to Vaikuṇṭha through sevā."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["temple bells","soft conch shell","evening silence","oil lamp crackle"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: śrībhagavānuvāca = śrī-bhagavān + uvāca; pakṣārdhaṃ = pakṣa-ardham; pitrorbhaktiḥ = pitroḥ + bhaktiḥ; gacchenmamālayaṃ = gacchet + mama + ālayam.
FAQs
It teaches that sincere devotion and service to one’s parents—even for a short period—has great spiritual merit and can lead to liberation, described here as attaining the Lord’s abode.
It frames parental service (pitṛ-bhakti) as a powerful devotional act, implying that everyday ethical duties, when done with devotion, become a direct means toward the Lord.
The verse elevates gratitude, care, and responsibility toward one’s mother and father as a core dharmic virtue, presenting it as spiritually transformative rather than merely social duty.