Shloka 23
Adhyaya 29 — Alarka’s Inquiry and Madalasa’s Teaching on Householder Dharma (Gārhasthya), Vaiśvadeva, and Atithi Hospitality
आप्यायनाय भूतानां कुर्यादुत्सर्गमादरात् ।
श्वभ्यश्च श्वपचेभ्यश्च वयोभ्यश्चावपेद्भुवि ॥
āpyāyanāya bhūtānāṃ kuryād utsargam ādarāt / śvabhyaś ca śvapacebhyaś ca vayobhyaś cāvaped bhuvi
For the nourishment of living beings, one should carefully make an offering by setting aside portions (utsarga). One should place food on the ground for dogs, for those who eat dog’s flesh (outcastes), and for birds as well.
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FAQs
A key householder duty is bhūta-dayā—practical compassion. Feeding animals and even socially marginalized persons is treated as part of daily dharma, not an optional charity.
Ethical/ritual dharma instruction (ācāra) embedded in the Purāṇa; it complements the Purāṇic aim of shaping right living alongside cosmological narration.
‘Utsarga’ is a ritualized relinquishment: the ego’s claim over food is loosened daily, converting consumption into offering and aligning the household with non-violence and reciprocity.