Shloka 20
शकुनि (हिरण्मय-पक्षी) उपदेशः — Vighasāśin and the Difficulty of Gārhasthya
देवा वै दुष्करं कृत्वा विभूतिं परमां गता: । तस्माद् गार्हस्थ्यमुद्रोढुं दुष्करं प्रत्रवीमि व:
devā vai duṣkaraṁ kṛtvā vibhūtiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ | tasmād gārhasthyam udroḍhuṁ duṣkaraṁ prabravīmi vaḥ ||
Having undertaken a truly difficult discipline, the gods attained supreme prosperity. Therefore I tell you: to bear the burden of the householder’s life is itself a hard vow—take up this demanding observance.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates gṛhastha-dharma (the householder’s responsibilities) as a demanding spiritual discipline: like the gods who gained supreme excellence through a hard vow, one should regard sustaining family and society through righteous conduct as a difficult yet ennobling vrata.
Arjuna speaks, pointing to the gods as an example of attaining greatness through arduous observance, and urges his listeners to undertake the ‘hard vow’ of the householder path—bearing its obligations as a serious ethical and spiritual commitment.