Shloka 10
Pṛthu Mahārāja Meets the Four Kumāras: Bhakti as the Boat Across Saṁsāra
अधना अपि ते धन्या: साधवो गृहमेधिन: । यद्गृहा ह्यर्हवर्याम्बुतृणभूमीश्वरावरा: ॥ १० ॥
adhanā api te dhanyāḥ sādhavo gṛha-medhinaḥ yad-gṛhā hy arha-varyāmbu- tṛṇa-bhūmīśvarāvarāḥ
Even if a householder is not wealthy, he becomes blessed and glorified when saintly devotees come to his home. The master and servants who offer the exalted guests water, a seat, and articles of reception—and the home itself—are all sanctified and praised.
Materially, if a man is not very rich he is not glorious; and spiritually, if a man is too attached to family life he is also not glorious. But saintly persons are quite ready to visit the house of a poor man or a man who is attached to material family life. When this happens, the owner of the house and his servants are glorified because they offer water for washing the feet of a saintly person, sitting places and other things to receive him. The conclusion is that if a saintly person goes to the house of even an unimportant man, such a person becomes glorious by his blessings. It is therefore the Vedic system that a householder invite a saintly person in his home to receive his blessings. This system is still current in India, and therefore saintly persons, wherever they go, are hosted by the householders, who in turn get an opportunity to receive transcendental knowledge. It is the duty of a sannyāsī, therefore, to travel everywhere just to favor the householders, who are generally ignorant of the values of spiritual life.
FAQs
This verse praises saintly householders as truly blessed because their homes become sanctified by the presence of worshipable persons and the sacred elements used in devotional and Vedic observances.
In instructing Pṛthu, the Kumāras highlight that devotion is not limited to renunciation; even household life becomes exalted when centered on honoring the Lord, devotees, and sacred worship practices.
Make the home a place of sādhana—welcome devotees, keep devotional cleanliness, offer simple worship with reverence, and live family life in service and remembrance of the Lord.