Dietary Rules & Purification — Dietary Rules, Purification (Śauca), and the Duties of the Householder and Forest-Dweller
दम्भार्थं जपते यश्च तप्यते यजते तथा न परत्रार्थमुद्यक्तो स मार्जारः प्रकीर्तितिः
dambhārthaṃ japate yaśca tapyate yajate tathā na paratrārthamudyakto sa mārjāraḥ prakīrtitiḥ
যে কেবল প্রদর্শনের জন্য জপ করে, তপস্যা করে ও যজ্ঞ করে, এবং পরলোকের সত্য উদ্দেশ্যে নিবিষ্ট নয়—তাকে ‘মার্জার’ (বিড়ালসদৃশ ছলনাকারী) বলা হয়েছে।
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Religious acts gain value through intention (bhāva). When japa, tapas, and yajña are performed for reputation rather than spiritual ends, they are ethically hollow and even blameworthy.
This is ācāra/śīla instruction embedded within Purāṇic teaching, not a direct instance of sarga/pratisarga/vamśa/manvantara/vamśānucarita.
‘Mārjāra’ (cat) suggests stealth and predation: outwardly calm, inwardly self-serving. The metaphor critiques performative spirituality that ‘hunts’ social honor rather than seeking dharma or liberation.