Shloka 22
Vasiṣṭha on Saṃsāra, Guṇas, and Misattributed Agency
Mahābhārata 12.292
जिसका सदाचार एवं सत्कर्म कभी लुप्त नहीं होता, वह ब्राह्मण (अग्निहोत्र न करनेपर भी) अन्निहोत्री ही है। सदाचारका ठीक-ठीक पालन होनेपर अग्निहोत्र न हो सके तो भी अच्छा है; किंतु सदाचारका त्याग करके केवल अग्निहोत्र करना कदापि कल्याणकारी नहीं है।।
agnir ātmā ca mātā ca pitā janayitā tathā | guruś ca naraśārdūla paricaryā yathātatham ||
Parāśara teaches that true religious life rests on right conduct: even if one cannot maintain the Agnihotra, steadfast good conduct preserves the spirit of the vow; but abandoning ethical discipline while merely performing ritual is never beneficial. He adds that Fire (Agni), one’s own self, mother, the father who gives birth, and the preceptor are all to be served with due care, each in the proper manner.
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical discipline (sadācāra) is superior to mere ritual performance: if ritual like Agnihotra cannot be done, maintaining right conduct still upholds dharma; but ritual without morality is not spiritually beneficial. One should also render proper service to Agni, oneself (through self-discipline), mother, father, and guru.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, the sage Parāśara addresses the listener (honorifically, ‘naraśārdūla’) and lays down a hierarchy of values: conduct and service-based duties are emphasized over external ritualism, framing dharma as lived responsibility toward sacred fire, self, parents, and teacher.