Shloka 353
Prāyaścitta-vidhāna: Tapas, Dāna, Vrata, and Proportional Expiation (प्रायश्चित्तविधानम्)
एवंवृत्त: प्रियैदरि: संवसन् धर्ममाप्नुयात् । 'जैसे गृहत्यागी संन्यासी घरके प्रति अनासक्त होता है
evaṁvṛttaḥ priyaiḥ sārdhaṁ saṁvasan dharmam āpnuyāt |
Vyāsa said: One who lives in this manner—dwelling at home with those dear to him, yet free from possessiveness and attachment—attains dharma in full. The teaching is that even a householder should cultivate the inner renunciation of a wandering ascetic: remaining in the household while letting go of clinging, and thus fulfilling righteous conduct without being bound by it.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A householder can attain the full fruit of dharma by living with loved ones while abandoning possessiveness and attachment—practicing inner renunciation without necessarily abandoning the home.
Vyāsa delivers a normative instruction in the Śānti Parva: he describes the ideal mode of household living—residing with one’s dear ones but with a renunciate’s non-attachment—presenting it as a path to complete dharmic fulfillment.