Shloka 30
Ātma-saṃyama-dharma: One-pointedness of Mind and Senses (शुक–व्यास संवादः)
धर्मलब्धर्युतो दारैरग्नीनुत्पाद्य यत्नत: । द्वितीयमायुषो भागं गृहमेधी भवेद् व्रती
dharmalabdhairyuto dārair agnīn utpādya yatnataḥ | dvitīyam āyuṣo bhāgaṁ gṛhamedhī bhaved vratī ||
Vyāsa said: Having obtained a wife through righteous means, one should, with careful effort, establish the sacred household fires. Then, observing noble vows, one should live as a disciplined householder for the second portion of life—up to about fifty years—conducting one’s domestic life in accordance with dharma.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches āśrama-dharma: after a righteous marriage, one should establish the sacred fires and live the disciplined householder life, observing vows and duties, for the middle portion of one’s lifespan.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vyāsa outlines the proper conduct of the gṛhastha stage—marriage according to dharma, installation of household fires, and sustained observance of vows up to the midpoint of life.