Shloka 76
ब्राह्मणानुयात्रा—शौनकोपदेशः
Brāhmaṇas Follow into Exile and Śaunaka’s Instruction
अत्र पूर्वक्षतुर्वर्ग: पितृयाणपथे स्थित: । कर्तव्यमिति यत् कार्य नाभिमानात् समाचरेत्,इनमें पहले बताये हुए चार धर्म पितृयानके मार्गमें स्थित हैं; अर्थात् इन चारोंका सकामभावसे अनुष्ठान करनेपर ये पितृयानमार्गसे ले जाते हैं। अग्निहोत्र और संध्योपासनादि जो अवश्य करनेयोग्य कर्म हैं, उन्हें कर्तव्य-बुद्धिसे ही अभिमान छोड़कर करे
atra pūrvakṣaturvargaḥ pitṛyāṇapathe sthitaḥ | kartavyam iti yat kāryaṃ nābhimānāt samācaret |
Here, the fourfold set of duties described earlier stands upon the path called Pitṛyāna, the Way of the Ancestors: when those four are practiced with desire for their fruits, they lead along that ancestral route. But whatever acts are obligatory—such as the Agnihotra and the Sandhyā worship—one should perform them from duty alone, casting aside pride and self-importance.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Obligatory duties should be performed from a sense of responsibility (kartavya-buddhi), not from ego or pride; and when duties are pursued with desire for results, they are said to align with the Pitṛyāna path.
Śaunaka is articulating a doctrinal distinction about motivation in dharma: certain previously listed duties, when done with fruit-seeking intent, are associated with the Pitṛyāna route, while obligatory rites and daily disciplines should be done without self-importance.