Shloka 1

सदाचार-नियमाः: शील, संयम, संग-निषेध, शुचिता, वाणी-नीति, परोपकारः

Devanagari script

देवगोब्राह्मणान् सिद्धवृद्धाचार्यांस् तथार्चयेत् द्विकालं च नमेत् संध्याम् अग्नीन् उपचरेत् तथा

Transliteration

devagobrāhmaṇān siddhavṛddhācāryāṃs tathārcayet dvikālaṃ ca namet saṃdhyām agnīn upacaret tathā

Translation

Let a person duly honor the gods, the cows, and the brāhmaṇas, and likewise the accomplished, the elders, and one’s teachers. At both twilights, let him bow in reverence in the Sandhyā rites, and properly attend the sacred fires as well.

Word by Word

• देव: god(s)
• देव: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (used as first member in compound)

• गो: cow(s)
• गो: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (used as first member in compound)

• ब्राह्मणान्: gods, cows, and brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) [देव-गो-ब्राह्मण (समास)]
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व/इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (devāḥ + gāvaḥ + brāhmaṇāḥ) as object-group

• सिद्ध: accomplished ones (siddhas)
• सिद्ध: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (used as first member in compound)

• वृद्ध: elders
• वृद्ध: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (used as first member in compound)

• आचार्यांस्: siddhas, elders, and teachers
• आचार्यांस्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आचार्य (प्रातिपदिक) [सिद्ध-वृद्ध-आचार्य (समास)]
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (siddhāḥ + vṛddhāḥ + ācāryāḥ) as object-group

• तथा: thus/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• अर्चयेत्: should worship/honor
• अर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• द्विकालम्: twice daily
• द्विकालम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्वि (संख्या) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषण, द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत् (adverbial accusative)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• नमेत्: should bow
• नमेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• संध्याम्: the twilight (sandhyā)
• संध्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अग्नीन्: sacred fires
• अग्नीन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• उपचरेत्: should attend/serve
• उपचरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Daily conduct and duties (ācāra) appropriate for sustaining dharma in human life

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dharma is stabilized through daily worship of devas, service to cows and brāhmaṇas, reverence to elders/teachers, sandhyā-vandana, and tending the sacred fires.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Keep a steady daily rhythm of prayer/meditation at dawn and dusk and cultivate reverence through concrete acts of service to teachers and the vulnerable.

Vishishtadvaita: Embodied duties are meaningful offerings within the Lord’s order, supporting devotion rather than opposing it.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Cows
• Brāhmaṇas
• Siddhas
• Elders (Vṛddhas)
• Ācāryas
• Sandhyā
• Sacred Fires (Agni)

FAQs

What is the significance of Sandhyā worship in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents Sandhyā (twilight worship) as a twice-daily discipline that aligns personal life with dharma and cosmic order, making it a foundational nitya-karma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain right conduct for householders here?

Parāśara frames right conduct as reverence toward sacred and social supports—devas, cows, brāhmaṇas, realized persons, elders, and teachers—along with disciplined ritual acts like Sandhyā and tending the sacred fires.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana’s dharma-teaching sections treat such daily duties as sustaining the divinely ordered world ultimately grounded in Vishnu’s sovereignty as the Supreme Reality.