Shloka 76

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

Devanagari script

स्नातो यथावत् कृत्वा च देवर्षिपितृतर्पणम् प्रशस्तरत्नपाणिश् च भुञ्जीत प्रयतो गृही

Transliteration

snāto yathāvat kṛtvā ca devarṣipitṛtarpaṇam praśastaratnapāṇiś ca bhuñjīta prayato gṛhī

Translation

Having bathed in the prescribed manner, and having duly performed tarpaṇa to the gods, the ṛṣis, and the ancestors, the disciplined householder should then take his meal with mindfulness and restraint, his hands adorned with auspicious gems.

Word by Word

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नात (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-विशेषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण—गृही (having bathed)

• यथावत्: properly
• यथावत्: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—प्रकार (properly, according to rule)

• कृत्वा: having performed
• कृत्वा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having done’

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

• देवर्षिपितृतर्पणम्: the tarpaṇa (oblations) to gods, sages, and ancestors
• देवर्षिपितृतर्पणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव-ऋषि-पितृ-तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक: देव + ऋषि + पितृ + तर्पण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (collective): tarpaṇa to gods, sages, and ancestors

• प्रशस्तरत्नपाणिः: with an auspicious jewel in hand
• प्रशस्तरत्नपाणिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रशस्त-रत्न-पाणि (प्रातिपदिक: प्रशस्त + रत्न + पाणि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण—गृही; ‘प्रशस्तं रत्नं पाणौ यस्य’ (with an excellent jewel in hand)

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

• भुञ्जीत: should eat
• भुञ्जीत: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• प्रयतः: self-restrained
• प्रयतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रयत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण—गृही (self-restrained, attentive)

• गृही: a householder
• गृही: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya, within the gṛhastha-dharma discourse)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Before eating, the gṛhastha should purify (snāna) and repay sacred debts through tarpaṇa to devas, ṛṣis, and pitṛs, then eat with restraint and auspiciousness.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Create a brief ‘pre-meal liturgy’: wash, offer gratitude to teachers/ancestors, and eat mindfully after acknowledging interdependence.

Vishishtadvaita: Embodies śeṣa-śeṣin relation: the self and its nourishment are received and returned in service; ritual gratitude aligns finite life with the Supreme’s sustaining presence.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Rishis
• Pitrs (Ancestors)

FAQs

What is the significance of tarpaṇa to Devas, Rishis, and Pitrs in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents tarpaṇa as a prerequisite to eating, framing daily nourishment as an act embedded in reciprocity—honoring divine forces, the seers who preserved sacred knowledge, and ancestral lineage.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the ideal conduct of a householder here?

Parāśara lays out a strict sequence—proper bathing, ritual satisfactions, then mindful eating—showing that gṛhastha life is not mere consumption but regulated living that upholds dharma.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇic framework treats dharmic order and disciplined household rites as participation in the sovereignty of the Supreme—where daily duties sustain the world aligned with Vishnu’s cosmic governance.