Shloka 102

गृहस्थस्य सदाचारः: शौच, तर্পण, वैश्वदेव, अतिथिधर्म, भोजन-विधि, संध्योपासन, ऋतु-धर्मः

Devanagari script

तस्माद् अनुदिते सूर्ये समुत्थाय महीपते उपतिष्ठेन् नरः संध्याम् अस्वपंश् च दिनान्तजाम्

Transliteration

tasmād anudite sūrye samutthāya mahīpate upatiṣṭhen naraḥ saṃdhyām asvapaṃś ca dināntajām

Translation

Therefore, O king, before the sun has risen a man should rise and duly perform the Sandhyā worship at dawn; and, without yielding to sleep, he should also properly observe the Sandhyā that comes at the close of the day.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore; from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तस्मात्-इति तस्मादित्यर्थे हेतौ/तस्मात्=therefore/from that)

• अनुदिते: when (the sun is) not risen
• अनुदिते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुदित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √उद् + अनु + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकाले—“not risen”

• सूर्ये: in/when the sun
• सूर्ये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• समुत्थाय: having risen
• समुत्थाय: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उत्-स्था (धातु; √स्था)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive) — “having risen/after getting up”

• महीपते: O king
• महीपते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपति (प्रातिपदिक; मही + पति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• उपतिष्ठेत्: should attend/worship
• उपतिष्ठेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-स्था (धातु; √स्था)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• संध्याम्: the twilight (sandhyā)
• संध्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• अस्वपन्: not sleeping
• अस्वपन्: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अ-स्वप् (धातु; √स्वप्)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle/वर्तमानकृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन—“not sleeping”

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• दिनान्तजाम्: arising at day’s end
• दिनान्तजाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिन + अन्त + जा (प्रातिपदिक; दिनान्तजा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; संध्याया विशेषणम्—“born at day’s end”

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya; addressing a kingly ideal as 'mahīpate')

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Daily duties (nitya-karma) for householders, especially sandhyā-vandana timings

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Rising before sunrise and performing both morning and evening sandhyā sustains daily dharma through disciplined nitya-karma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Keep fixed dawn/dusk prayer or mindfulness windows daily, treating them as non-negotiable vows.

Vishishtadvaita: Nitya-karmas are offerings to the Lord who orders time (kāla) and supports the world, integrating embodied duty with God-centered life.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Surya (the Sun)
• Kings

FAQs

What is the significance of sandhyā (twilight worship) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents sandhyā as a daily pillar of dharma—performed both before sunrise and at day’s end—linking personal discipline with the maintenance of cosmic and social order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain daily discipline for a ruler or ideal person here?

By insisting on rising before sunrise and not succumbing to sleep at evening time, Parāśara frames kingship and upright living as grounded in self-mastery and faithful performance of obligatory rites.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Though Vishnu is not named in the line, the Vishnu Purana’s dharma-teaching assumes that orderly conduct and prescribed worship ultimately uphold the sovereignty of the Supreme Reality (Vishnu) who sustains the world through dharma.