Shloka 126

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

Devanagari script

इति मत्वा स्वदारेषु ऋतुमत्सु बुधो व्रजेत् यथोक्तदोषहीनेषु सकामेष्व् अनृताव् अपि

Transliteration

iti matvā svadāreṣu ṛtumatsu budho vrajet yathoktadoṣahīneṣu sakāmeṣv anṛtāv api

Translation

Knowing thus, a wise man should approach his own lawful wife when she is in season; and even when she is not in season, he may approach her—provided she is free from the faults described and the union is by mutual desire.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Discourse marker (इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle: ‘thus’)

• matvā: having considered
• matvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √man (मन्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/क्त्वा), अव्ययभाव; ‘having thought/considered’

• sva-dāreṣu: with/in one’s own wife/wives
• sva-dāreṣu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + dāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; ‘one’s own wives’

• ṛtu-matsu: during the fertile/menstrual season
• ṛtu-matsu: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṛtumat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (svadāreṣu)

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

• vrajet: should go/approach
• vrajet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vraj (व्रज्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd/मध्यम), एकवचन; परस्मैपद (injunctive advice)

• yathā-ukta-doṣa-hīneṣu: in those (wives) free from the faults described
• yathā-ukta-doṣa-hīneṣu: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + ukta (कृदन्त, √vac/वच् + kta) + doṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + hīna (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; ‘as stated’ + ‘fault-free’; विशेषणम् (svadāreṣu)

• sa-kāmeṣu: when (she is) willing/desirous
• sa-kāmeṣu: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; ‘with desire/willing’; विशेषणम् (svadāreṣu)

• an-ṛtāv: even outside the season
• an-ṛtāv: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: an-ṛtu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘in non-season’ (not in ṛtu)

• api: even
• api: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-कार (even/also)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Positive norm for marital union: approach one’s own wife in ṛtu (season), and otherwise only when free of stated faults and by mutual desire.

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: practical

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sexual life is to be harmonized with dharma: confined to one’s lawful spouse, ideally in proper season, and guided by mutual willingness and freedom from prohibitive conditions.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Integrate desire with ethics and consent: honor commitment, communicate clearly, and prioritize wellbeing and self-restraint.

Vishishtadvaita: Gṛhastha-dharma as a sanctified mode of life that supports devotion; regulated enjoyment becomes compatible with service to the Lord rather than opposition to it.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

FAQs

What is the significance of ṛtu (season) in the Vishnu Purana’s householder teachings?

This verse prioritizes approaching one’s spouse during ṛtu (the proper season), presenting dharma as alignment with natural order while keeping marital life regulated rather than impulsive.

How does Sage Parāśara explain permissible marital conduct here?

Parāśara frames it as lawful only with one’s own spouse, ideally in season; even out of season it is permitted when the partner is free from the stated disqualifying faults and the act is mutually desired.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching reflects a Vaishnava Purāṇic view that dharma—rightly ordered life—supports the cosmic sovereignty of the Supreme (Vishnu) by sustaining social and moral harmony.