Shloka 67

Devanagari script

इत्य् एते ऽतिथयः प्रोक्ताः प्रागुक्ता भिक्षवश् च ये चतुरः पूजयेद् एतान् नृयज्ञर्णात् प्रमुच्यते

Transliteration

ity ete 'tithayaḥ proktāḥ prāguktā bhikṣavaś ca ye caturaḥ pūjayed etān nṛyajñarṇāt pramucyate

Translation

Thus have the guests been described, together with the four classes of mendicants spoken of earlier. Whoever reverently honours them is freed from the debt of nṛ-yajña—the sacred obligation to living beings through hospitality and compassionate giving.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (quotative particle/इति-शब्दः), वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण

• atithayaḥ: guests
• atithayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: atithi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• proktāḥ: have been declared
• proktāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra+vac (धातु) → prokta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि/निष्पन्नार्थे ‘having been said/declared’

• prāk: previously
• prāk: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prāk (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/कालवाचक)

• uktāḥ: said
• uktāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) → ukta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि ‘said’

• bhikṣavaḥ: mendicants
• bhikṣavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhikṣu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction/समुच्चय)

• ye: who
• ye: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• caturaḥ: four
• caturaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• pūjayet: should honor
• pūjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; विध्यर्थ ‘should honor’

• etān: these (persons)
• etān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• nṛyajña-ṛṇāt: from the debt of the nṛyajña
• nṛyajña-ṛṇāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛyajña (प्रातिपदिक) + ṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘नृयज्ञस्य ऋणम्’ → ‘debt of the man-sacrifice’; अपादानार्थे

• pramucyate: is freed
• pramucyate: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra+muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे ‘is released’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Duties of the householder (gṛhastha), especially honoring guests and mendicants; repayment of the pañca-mahāyajña debts.

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Honoring guests and the four classes of mendicants discharges the human-obligation (nṛ-yajña-ṛṇa) within the pañca-mahāyajñas.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice intentional hospitality and structured giving (food, water, respect) to visitors and vulnerable dependents as a daily discipline.

Vishishtadvaita: Service to living beings is treated as service within the Lord’s ordered dharma, implying the world as His domain and worship through duty.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Atithi (guest)
• Bhikṣu (mendicant)

FAQs

What is the significance of nṛ-yajña (the human-sacrifice) in the Vishnu Purana?

Here it means the ethical-sacrificial duty of honoring guests and supporting mendicants; fulfilling it frees one from the “debt to humans” (nṛyajña-ṛṇa) created by living within society.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of guests and mendicants in dharma?

Parāśara frames them as rightful recipients of reverence and support; serving them is not optional courtesy but a yajña-like obligation that maintains righteous order.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching aligns with Vaishnava dharma: social duties like hospitality are part of the cosmic order (dharma) sustained by the Supreme Reality, Vishnu.