Shloka 23
पुंसां क्रिया-विभागः, संस्काराः, नामकरणम्, विवाहविधानम्
पञ्चमीं मातृपक्षाच् च पितृपक्षाच् च सप्तमीम् गृहस्थस् तूद्वहेत् कन्यां न्याय्येन विधिना नृप
pañcamīṃ mātṛpakṣāc ca pitṛpakṣāc ca saptamīm gṛhasthas tūdvahet kanyāṃ nyāyyena vidhinā nṛpa
O king, a householder should wed a maiden by a dharma-sanctioned rite—choosing the fifth lunar day on the mother’s side and the seventh on the father’s side, and performing the ceremony according to proper rule.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya; addressing a kingly addressee within the teaching as 'nṛpa')
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Gṛhastha-dharma: auspicious timing and dharmically sanctioned procedure for marriage rites
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Rites like marriage should be performed at proper times and according to nyāya/vidhi, aligning personal life with dharma.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Treat major life transitions with intentionality, ethical counsel, and disciplined preparation rather than haste.
Vishishtadvaita: Karmas, when performed as Bhagavad-ārādhana within varṇāśrama, become means of purification while affirming God as the inner ruler of righteous order.
FAQs
This verse frames marriage as a dharmic saṃskāra aligned with lunar timing—selecting pañcamī and saptamī as prescribed days—so the household order supports social and cosmic order.
Parāśara presents gṛhastha life as rule-governed: one should marry only through nyāya (rightness) and vidhi (scriptural procedure), emphasizing discipline rather than mere personal preference.
Even when discussing social rites, the Purana implies that dharma—right timing, right method, right conduct—operates under Vishnu’s sustaining sovereignty, by which the world’s order is maintained.