Shloka 110

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

Devanagari script

कृतपादादिशौचश् च भुक्त्वा सायं ततो गृही गच्छेद् अस्फुटितां शय्याम् अपि दारुमयीं नृप

Transliteration

kṛtapādādiśaucaś ca bhuktvā sāyaṃ tato gṛhī gacched asphuṭitāṃ śayyām api dārumayīṃ nṛpa

Translation

O King, having cleansed the feet and the rest of the body and then taking the evening meal, the householder should retire thereafter—going to a bed that is firm and unbroken, even if it is merely made of wood.

Word by Word

• kṛta-pāda-ādi-śaucaḥ: having done the washing of feet etc.
• kṛta-pāda-ādi-śaucaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + śauca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying gṛhī): 'having performed cleansing of feet etc.' (kṛta as PPP used adjectivally)

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction: 'and')

• bhuktvā: having eaten
• bhuktvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhuj (धातु) → bhuktvā (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): 'having eaten'

• sāyam: in the evening
• sāyam: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāyam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb: 'in the evening')

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Sequence marker (क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादानार्थक/क्रमसूचक (ablatival adverb: 'then/thereafter')

• gṛhī: the householder
• gṛhī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता (householder)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 'should go'

• asphuṭitām: unbroken
• asphuṭitām: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-sphuṭita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying śayyām): 'unbroken/not split'

• śayyām: bed
• śayyām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śayyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म (object of gacchet: 'go to the bed')

• api: even/also
• api: Discourse particle (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कार (even/also)

• dāru-mayīm: wooden
• dāru-mayīm: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dāru (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying śayyām): 'made of wood'

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction), addressing a king within the didactic discourse

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Daily gṛhastha regimen: cleansing, evening meal, and proper sleeping arrangements as part of śauca and niyama

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: practical

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: After bodily cleansing and the evening meal, one should sleep on a firm, intact bed—even a simple wooden one—maintaining śauca and disciplined living.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Keep a clean nightly routine: wash up, eat moderately, sleep on a simple and supportive bed; reduce indulgence to support clarity and health.

Vishishtadvaita: Embodied discipline (śarīra-niyama) supports sāttvika life oriented to the Lord; the body is treated as an instrument for dharma rather than for luxury.

Characters & Entities

• King (Nṛpa)
• Householder (Gṛhī)

FAQs

What is the significance of cleanliness and evening discipline in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames bodily purity and a regulated evening routine as core elements of dharma, supporting self-control and social order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain proper household conduct here?

He gives practical āchāra: cleanse oneself, eat at the proper time, and retire to a simple, firm bed—signaling restraint rather than indulgence.

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

Even practical conduct is presented as participation in dharma—an order ultimately upheld by Vishnu—so daily discipline becomes a lived alignment with the Supreme sustaining principle.