Shloka 45

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

Devanagari script

गृहस्य पुरुषव्याघ्र दिग्देवान् अपि मे शृणु

Transliteration

gṛhasya puruṣavyāghra digdevān api me śṛṇu

Translation

O tiger among men, now hear from me also of the deities who preside over the directions in relation to the house.

Word by Word

• गृहस्य: of the house
• गृहस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध-षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन (neuter, genitive singular)

• पुरुषव्याघ्र: O tiger among men
• पुरुषव्याघ्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक) + व्याघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन (masculine, vocative singular); कर्मधारय-समास (addressing: ‘tiger among men’)

• दिग्देवान्: the deities of the directions
• दिग्देवान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिक् (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन (masculine, accusative plural); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (directional deities = ‘gods of the directions’)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षाबोधक-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• मे: my/to me
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध-षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन (genitive singular pronoun)

• शृणु: hear/listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (imperative, parasmaipada, 2nd person singular)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Identification of the dik-devatās (directional deities) relative to the house

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: didactic

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Space is not neutral: the quarters are governed by deities whose recognition maintains order within the household and society.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate awareness of ‘orientation’—set boundaries, respect environments, and acknowledge interdependence with forces larger than oneself.

Vishishtadvaita: Divine governance extends through spatial functions; the world’s ordered plurality is meaningful as the Lord’s regulated manifestation.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Characters & Entities

• Dikdevāḥ (Dikpālas/guardians of the directions)
• Gṛha (house/dwelling)

FAQs

What is the significance of the Dikpālas (directional deities) in the Vishnu Purana?

They represent cosmic governance by assigning divine oversight to each direction, linking spatial order to dharma and ritual orientation.

How does Sage Parāśara explain sacred space through the idea of the house (gṛha)?

He frames the house as a practical, lived space that mirrors the larger cosmos, where directions and their presiding powers guide correct orientation and order.

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

Even when discussing directional deities, the Purāṇic worldview treats such powers as operating within the supreme sovereignty of Vishnu, the ultimate ground of cosmic order.