Shloka 78

गृहस्थस्य सदाचारः: शौच, तर্পण, वैश्वदेव, अतिथिधर्म, भोजन-विधि, संध्योपासन, ऋतु-धर्मः

Devanagari script

नैकवस्त्रधरो ऽथार्द्रपाणिपादो नरेश्वर विशुद्धवदनः प्रीतो भुञ्जीत न विदिङ्मुखः

Transliteration

naikavastradharo 'thārdrapāṇipādo nareśvara viśuddhavadanaḥ prīto bhuñjīta na vidiṅmukhaḥ

Translation

হে নরেশ্বর! একটিমাত্র বস্ত্র পরে, কিংবা হাত-পা ভেজা অবস্থায় আহার করা উচিত নয়। মুখ শুদ্ধ করে, মন প্রীত ও সংযত রেখে আহার করবে; এবং অশুভ দিকের দিকে মুখ করে কখনও খাবে না।

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (particle of negation)

• एकवस्त्रधरः: wearing only one garment
• एकवस्त्रधरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (धृ-धातु, अच्-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः = एकं वस्त्रं धरतीति

• अथ: then/also
• अथ: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• आर्द्रपाणिपादः: with wet hands and feet
• आर्द्रपाणिपादः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आर्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक) + पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः = पाणिश्च पादश्च (द्वन्द्व), आर्द्रौ पाणिपादौ यस्य सः

• नरेश्वर: O king
• नरेश्वर: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• विशुद्धवदनः: with a clean face/mouth
• विशुद्धवदनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विशुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + वदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः = विशुद्धं वदनं यस्य सः

• प्रीतः: pleased/cheerful
• प्रीतः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रीत (प्री-धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• भुञ्जीत: should eat
• भुञ्जीत: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष? (आज्ञार्थे मध्यमपुरुष-प्रयोगः अपेक्षितः; पाठे ‘भुञ्जीत’ = 3rd sg optative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• विदिङ्मुखः: facing an improper direction
• विदिङ्मुखः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि (उपसर्ग) + दिक् (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः = विदिक् (विपरीता दिक्) मुखं यस्य सः

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya; framed as guidance applicable to a ruler—“nareśvara”)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Rules of proper eating (bhojana-vidhi) as part of daily dharmic discipline

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Eating should be done in purity and composure—properly clothed, dry-limbed, with a cleansed face and a settled mind, and not oriented toward inauspicious directions.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Make meals a mindful ritual: wash, settle the mind, avoid distracted eating, and cultivate gratitude before food.

Vishishtadvaita: Embodied discipline (śauca, smṛti) supports devotion by harmonizing bodily acts with the divine order.

Characters & Entities

• Sage Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Kings (nareśvara)

FAQs

What is the significance of eating rules (bhojana-vidhi) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse treats eating as a dharmic act: cleanliness, composure, and auspicious orientation turn a daily necessity into disciplined living aligned with sacred order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain proper conduct for a ruler or householder here?

By emphasizing bodily purity (washed face, not wet-limbed), mental restraint (prīta—calm and content), and correct ritual orientation, Parāśara presents self-governance as the foundation of governance.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even practical dharma is implied to rest on Vishnu’s sustaining order: disciplined conduct preserves harmony in the individual, which mirrors the preservation (sthiti) upheld by the Supreme.