Shloka 12
गृहस्थस्य सदाचारः: शौच, तर্পण, वैश्वदेव, अतिथिधर्म, भोजन-विधि, संध्योपासन, ऋतु-धर्मः
न कृष्टे सस्यमध्ये वा गोव्रजे जनसंसदि न वर्त्मनि न नद्यादितीर्थेषु पुरुषर्षभ
na kṛṣṭe sasyamadhye vā govraje janasaṃsadi na vartmani na nadyāditīrtheṣu puruṣarṣabha
O best of men, one should not do so in a ploughed field or amid standing crops; not in a cattle-pen, nor in an assembly of people; not on the public road; nor at rivers and other sacred fords.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Etiquette of excretion and protection of socially/sacrally significant spaces
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Dharma protects both fertility (fields, crops), social harmony (assemblies, roads), and sacredness (tīrthas) through disciplined conduct.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Maintain sanitation and respect in shared/public and ecologically sensitive spaces; protect water sources and communal areas.
Vishishtadvaita: Because the world is the Lord’s ordered domain, preserving its purity and social harmony is a form of honoring His governance (niyati) over beings.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse treats rivers and tīrthas as spiritually charged spaces requiring restraint, implying that Dharma includes honoring locations where purification, worship, and communal sanctity are maintained.
By listing places such as assemblies, roads, cattle enclosures, and cultivated fields, Parāśara frames Dharma as socially responsible behavior—avoiding acts that would offend people, disturb livelihoods, or disrespect sacred settings.
Though Vishnu is not named in the line, the ethic presented is Vaishnava in spirit: Dharma is part of the cosmic order sustained by the Supreme (Vishnu), and honoring sacred spaces aligns personal action with that sustaining sovereignty.