Shloka 23

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

Devanagari script

ततः स्ववर्णधर्मेण वृत्त्यर्थं च धनार्जनम् कुर्वीत श्रद्धासंपन्नो यजेच् च पृथिवीपते

Transliteration

tataḥ svavarṇadharmeṇa vṛttyarthaṃ ca dhanārjanam kurvīta śraddhāsaṃpanno yajec ca pṛthivīpate

Translation

Thereafter, O lord of the earth, let him earn wealth for his livelihood in keeping with the dharma of his own varṇa; and, endowed with faith, let him also worship by means of yajña.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक अव्यय (thereafter)

• स्ववर्णधर्मेण: by/according to one’s own varṇa-duty
• स्ववर्णधर्मेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य वर्णस्य धर्मः)

• वृत्त्यर्थम्: for livelihood
• वृत्त्यर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे (वृत्त्यर्थम् = livelihood-purpose)

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

• धनार्जनम्: earning of wealth
• धनार्जनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धनस्य अर्जनम्)

• कुर्वीत: should do/undertake
• कुर्वीत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• श्रद्धासंपन्नः: endowed with faith
• श्रद्धासंपन्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक) + संपन्न (कृदन्त; सम्-पद् धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (श्रद्धया संपन्नः)

• यजेत्: should worship/sacrifice
• यजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• पृथिवीपते: O lord of the earth (king)
• पृथिवीपते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पृथिव्याः पतिः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya; addressing the ideal king as 'pṛthivīpati')

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Householder duties: livelihood according to varṇa-dharma and performance of yajña with śraddhā

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Wealth should be earned through one’s proper dharma and then consecrated through yajña performed with śraddhā.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Choose ethical livelihood aligned with your responsibilities and regularly dedicate time/resources to worship and service.

Vishishtadvaita: Offering (yajña) treats all action and its fruits as belonging to the Lord, aligning karma with devotion rather than mere self-interest.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• King (Pṛthivīpati)

FAQs

What is the significance of svadharma (one’s own duty) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames livelihood and wealth as legitimate only when pursued through one’s own varṇa-dharma, making social order a spiritual discipline rather than merely a social convention.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the balance between earning wealth and spirituality?

He links artha (wealth) to vṛtti (maintenance) under dharma, and then adds yajña performed with śraddhā, showing that material life should be sustained without severing the sacrificial bond to cosmic order.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named, the dharmic economy of righteous earning and yajña is presented as participation in the divine order that Vishnu embodies and sustains as the Supreme Reality.