Shloka 9
Gṛhastha-vṛtti and Niyama: Models of Householder Livelihood and Discipline (गृहस्थवृत्ति-नियमाः)
अग्नीश्र ब्राह्म॒णांश्चार्चेद् देवता: प्रणमेत च,अग्नि, ब्राह्मण और देवताओंको प्रणाम एवं उनका पूजन करे। कड़वी बात मुँहसे न निकाले और हिंसा न करे; क्योंकि वह अधर्मसे युक्त है। यह ब्राह्मणके लिये परम्परागत वृत्ति (कर्तव्य) का विधान किया गया है
agnīṁś ca brāhmaṇāṁś cārcet devatāḥ praṇamet ca | kaṭvīṁ vācaṁ mukhān na brūyāt hiṁsāṁ ca na samācaret | adharmayuktaṁ hi tat | eṣā brāhmaṇasya paramparāgatā vṛttiḥ (kartavya) vidhīyate ||
Vyāsa says: One should worship Agni, honor the Brāhmaṇas, and bow to the gods. One should not utter harsh speech, nor commit violence, for such conduct is bound up with adharma. This is laid down as the traditional, inherited mode of life—indeed the duty—of a Brāhmaṇa.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse prescribes a Brāhmaṇa’s traditional dharma: reverence through worship (Agni, Brāhmaṇas, and the gods), restraint in speech (avoiding harsh words), and restraint in action (avoiding violence), because harshness and harm are aligned with adharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Vyāsa states normative rules of behavior—especially for Brāhmaṇas—linking ritual reverence and ethical self-control as the inherited standard of proper living.