Shloka 78

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

Devanagari script

नैकवस्त्रधरो ऽथार्द्रपाणिपादो नरेश्वर विशुद्धवदनः प्रीतो भुञ्जीत न विदिङ्मुखः

Transliteration

naikavastradharo 'thārdrapāṇipādo nareśvara viśuddhavadanaḥ prīto bhuñjīta na vidiṅmukhaḥ

Translation

O king, one should not eat while wearing only a single garment, nor with hands and feet still wet. With the face cleansed and the heart made glad and composed, one should take food—yet never while turned toward an inauspicious direction.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (particle of negation)

• एकवस्त्रधरः: wearing only one garment
• एकवस्त्रधरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (धृ-धातु, अच्-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः = एकं वस्त्रं धरतीति

• अथ: then/also
• अथ: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• आर्द्रपाणिपादः: with wet hands and feet
• आर्द्रपाणिपादः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आर्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक) + पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः = पाणिश्च पादश्च (द्वन्द्व), आर्द्रौ पाणिपादौ यस्य सः

• नरेश्वर: O king
• नरेश्वर: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• विशुद्धवदनः: with a clean face/mouth
• विशुद्धवदनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विशुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + वदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः = विशुद्धं वदनं यस्य सः

• प्रीतः: pleased/cheerful
• प्रीतः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रीत (प्री-धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• भुञ्जीत: should eat
• भुञ्जीत: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष? (आज्ञार्थे मध्यमपुरुष-प्रयोगः अपेक्षितः; पाठे ‘भुञ्जीत’ = 3rd sg optative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• विदिङ्मुखः: facing an improper direction
• विदिङ्मुखः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि (उपसर्ग) + दिक् (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः = विदिक् (विपरीता दिक्) मुखं यस्य सः

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya; framed as guidance applicable to a ruler—“nareśvara”)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Rules of proper eating (bhojana-vidhi) as part of daily dharmic discipline

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Eating should be done in purity and composure—properly clothed, dry-limbed, with a cleansed face and a settled mind, and not oriented toward inauspicious directions.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Make meals a mindful ritual: wash, settle the mind, avoid distracted eating, and cultivate gratitude before food.

Vishishtadvaita: Embodied discipline (śauca, smṛti) supports devotion by harmonizing bodily acts with the divine order.

Characters & Entities

• Sage Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Kings (nareśvara)

FAQs

What is the significance of eating rules (bhojana-vidhi) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse treats eating as a dharmic act: cleanliness, composure, and auspicious orientation turn a daily necessity into disciplined living aligned with sacred order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain proper conduct for a ruler or householder here?

By emphasizing bodily purity (washed face, not wet-limbed), mental restraint (prīta—calm and content), and correct ritual orientation, Parāśara presents self-governance as the foundation of governance.

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

Even practical dharma is implied to rest on Vishnu’s sustaining order: disciplined conduct preserves harmony in the individual, which mirrors the preservation (sthiti) upheld by the Supreme.