Shloka 12

Pātra-Nirṇaya and Ritual Procedure: Who to Feed, Who to Avoid, and Step-by-Step Śrāddha Performance

Devanagari script

तस्मात् प्रथमम् अत्रोक्तं द्विजाग्र्याणां निमन्त्रणम् अनिमन्त्र्य द्विजान् गेहम् आगतान् भोजयेद् यतीन्

Transliteration

tasmāt prathamam atroktaṃ dvijāgryāṇāṃ nimantraṇam animantrya dvijān geham āgatān bhojayed yatīn

Translation

Therefore, the first duty taught here is the formal invitation of the foremost among the twice-born. Yet even without invitation, if twice-born guests or wandering yatis arrive at one’s home, one should feed those self-restrained renunciants.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूतम् (ablatival indeclinable: 'therefore/from that')

• prathamam: first
• prathamam: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb: 'firstly')

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (locative adverb: 'here/in this context')

• uktam: is stated
• uktam: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (it is said)

• dvijāgryāṇām: of the foremost Brahmins
• dvijāgryāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + agrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (dvija-agrya: 'best among the twice-born')

• nimantraṇam: invitation
• nimantraṇam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nimantraṇa (प्रातिपदिक; ni-√mantr (धातु) से)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• animantrya: without inviting
• animantrya: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: a- (नञ्) + ni-√mantr (धातु) + ल्यप् (ल्यप्)
• Form: नञ्-पूर्वक-ल्यपन्त-अव्ययम् (negative gerund): ‘without inviting / not having invited’

• dvijān: Brahmins
• dvijān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचनम्

• geham: house
• geham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: geha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम्

• āgatān: who have come
• āgatān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√gam (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः; पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (those who have come)

• bhojayet: should feed
• bhojayet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhuj (धातु) + ṇic (णिच्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; णिजन्तः (causative): ‘should feed’

• yatīn: ascetics
• yatīn: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Priority of formally inviting foremost dvijas for rites, and the overriding duty to feed uninvited dvija guests and yatis who arrive.

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: compassionate

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: While ritual protocol begins with inviting qualified brāhmaṇas, dharma is most alive in spontaneous atithi-sevā—feeding arriving dvijas and yatis even without prior invitation.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Keep resources and mindset ready for service; treat unexpected guests and renunciants as opportunities for immediate charity and reverence.

Vishishtadvaita: Sevā as bhakti: honoring the Lord through honoring His devotees/representatives (bhāgavata-satkara) within household life.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Dvija (twice-born Brahmanas)
• Yati (renunciant/ascetic)

FAQs

What is the significance of feeding uninvited guests in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames hospitality as an immediate obligation of dharma: even uninvited twice-born guests and wandering renunciants must be fed when they arrive, because right conduct is tested in unexpected moments.

How does Sage Parāśara explain proper hospitality to Maitreya here?

Parāśara prioritizes inviting worthy Brahmanas, but adds a stronger rule: if dvijas or yatis arrive without invitation, the householder should still feed them, treating their presence as dharma arriving at the doorstep.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

While Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s ethic assumes dharma as Vishnu’s order: honoring guests—especially ascetics—becomes a practical way of aligning household life with the Supreme Reality who sustains the world.