Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 2
Gṛhastha-Dharma: How a Householder Attains Liberation by Offering All to Vāsudeva
श्रीनारद उवाच गृहेष्ववस्थितो राजन्क्रिया: कुर्वन्यथोचिता: । वासुदेवार्पणं साक्षादुपासीत महामुनीन् ॥ २ ॥
śrī-nārada uvāca gṛheṣv avasthito rājan kriyāḥ kurvan yathocitāḥ vāsudevārpaṇaṁ sākṣād upāsīta mahā-munīn
Nārada Muni erwiderte: „O König, ein Gṛhastha soll die angemessenen Pflichten zur Sicherung des Lebensunterhalts erfüllen, doch statt die Früchte selbst zu genießen, soll er sie unmittelbar Vāsudeva, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, darbringen. Durch die Gemeinschaft großer Gottgeweihter versteht man vollkommen, wie man Vāsudeva verehrt und zufriedenstellt.“
The format for gṛhastha life should be dedication to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad-gītā (6.1) it is said:
FAQs
This verse says a householder can stay at home, do proper prescribed duties, and dedicate them to Vāsudeva—especially by directly honoring and serving great sages as recipients of such devotion.
In the context of teaching ideal gṛhastha conduct, Nārada explains that devotion is not limited to renunciation; honoring saintly persons is a direct, practical expression of offering one’s life and duties to Vāsudeva.
Do your responsibilities ethically and conscientiously, and consciously dedicate the results to God—while supporting and learning from genuine sādhus/teachers through service, hospitality, and respectful engagement.