Shloka 64

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

Devanagari script

पित्रर्थं चापरं विप्रम् एकम् अप्य् आशयेन् नृप तद्देश्यं विदिताचारसंभूतिं पाञ्चयज्ञिकम्

Transliteration

pitrarthaṃ cāparaṃ vipram ekam apy āśayen nṛpa taddeśyaṃ viditācārasaṃbhūtiṃ pāñcayajñikam

Translation

And for the sake of the Fathers, O king, he should lodge—even if only one—Brahmin guest: one of that region, of well-known conduct and lineage, and fit to receive the offerings of the five daily sacrifices.

Word by Word

• पित्रर्थम्: for the sake of the ancestors
• पित्रर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थक (Masculine, Accusative, Singular; 'for the sake of the fathers')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• अपरम्: another
• अपरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Accusative, Singular; adjective)

• विप्रम्: a Brahmin
• विप्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Accusative, Singular; adjective)

• अपि: even; also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/अपि-निपात (particle: even/also)

• आशयेत्: should lodge; should accommodate
• आशयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√śī (शी धातु, 'to lie/rest') (णिच् causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोगः (Causative optative, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada: 'should cause to lie/should lodge')

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• तद्देश्यम्: belonging to that region; local
• तद्देश्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad + deśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Accusative, Singular; adjective)

• विदिताचारसंभूतिम्: whose origin and conduct are known
• विदिताचारसंभूतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vidita + ācāra + saṃbhūti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Feminine, Accusative, Singular; adjective qualifying 'vipram' by implied 'saṃbhūtim' as 'origin')

• पाञ्चयज्ञिकम्: connected with the five sacrifices (pañca-yajña)
• पाञ्चयज्ञिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāñca-yajñika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Accusative, Singular; adjective)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya; addressed here as 'nṛpa' in the transmitted verse)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Householder duties toward pitṛs and the pañca-yajñas through lodging a qualified brāhmaṇa guest

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: For the sake of the Fathers (pitṛs), one should lodge even a single brāhmaṇa guest of known conduct, fit for the pañca-yajña offerings, thereby sustaining ritual-ethical order.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Keep a disciplined practice of daily giving (food, shelter, support) to worthy recipients and in memory of ancestors; let duty, not display, guide generosity.

Vishishtadvaita: Daily duties (pañca-yajña) are offered as service within Bhagavan’s cosmic administration, integrating ritual action with devotionally grounded ethics.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Pitrs (Ancestors)
• Brahmin (Vipra)
• King (Nrpa)

FAQs

What is the significance of hosting a Brahmin guest for the Pitṛs in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse links hospitality to ancestral welfare: lodging and honoring a qualified vipra becomes an act offered “for the Pitṛs,” integrating social ethics with the ancestral rite-duty that sustains family continuity.

How does Sage Parāśara explain pañca-yajña eligibility in this context?

Parāśara emphasizes discernment: the guest should be known for proper conduct and reputable origin, and be “pāñcayajñika,” i.e., fit to receive what is offered within the five daily sacrificial obligations of a householder.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Though Vishnu is not named here, the teaching frames dharma as a cosmic principle ultimately upheld by the Supreme—ritual duty and ethical hospitality function as ways the household participates in the divine order that Vishnu sustains.