Shloka 36
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मातापितृभ्यां न करोति कामान् बन्धूनशोकान्न करोति यो वा कीर्तिं हि वा नार्जयते हिमाभां पुमान्स जातो ऽपि मृतो मतं मे //
mātāpitṛbhyāṃ na karoti kāmān bandhūnaśokānna karoti yo vā kīrtiṃ hi vā nārjayate himābhāṃ pumānsa jāto 'pi mṛto mataṃ me //
A man who does not fulfill the rightful wishes of his mother and father, who does not keep his kinsmen free from sorrow, and who does not earn bright, stainless fame—such a man, though born, is considered by me as good as dead.
FAQs
This verse is not about pralaya; it is a dharma-oriented teaching defining “living” as purposeful life—service to parents, protection of kin from grief, and earning pure fame.
It frames core gṛhastha/leadership duty: repay obligations to parents (pitṛ-ṛṇa in practical form), maintain the welfare of one’s family network, and uphold public virtue so that one’s kīrti becomes “himābhā” (stainless), a standard equally applicable to rulers and householders.
No direct Vāstu or temple-ritual rule is stated; the takeaway is ethical: ritual and construction gain meaning only when grounded in dharma—care for elders, social responsibility, and an unsullied reputation.