Shloka 13

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

Devanagari script

पादशौचादिना गेहम् आगतान् पूजयेद् द्विजान्

Transliteration

pādaśaucādinā geham āgatān pūjayed dvijān

Translation

When twice-born guests arrive at one’s home, one should honour them with the courtesies of hospitality—beginning with the washing of their feet.

Word by Word

• pādaśaucādinā: by (offering) foot-washing and the like
• pādaśaucādinā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pādaśauca + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचनम्; ‘pāda-śauca’ (पादयोः शौचम्) इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः, तस्य ‘आदि’ सहितः; करणवाचकः (by foot-washing etc.)

• 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

• pūjayet: should honor / worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

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

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Concrete acts of honoring arriving dvija guests—beginning with washing the feet (pāda-śauca).

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: practical

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Honoring dvija guests through acts like washing their feet embodies dharma and sanctifies the household as a place of service.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice reverent hospitality—offer water, a seat, food, and respectful attention—especially to elders, teachers, and renunciants.

Vishishtadvaita: Service (kainkarya) expressed through embodied gestures; the sacred is encountered in persons, aligning everyday action with devotion.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

Characters & Entities

• Dvija (the twice-born)

FAQs

What is the significance of welcoming guests in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse treats hospitality as gṛhastha-dharma: honouring arriving dvijas—beginning with foot-washing—upholds social and ritual order, reflecting dharma as a pillar of the world’s stability.

How does Sage Parāśara explain proper householder conduct here?

Parāśara frames the home as a place where dharma is enacted through concrete rites—respectful reception, purification, and honour—so daily conduct becomes a disciplined offering aligned with sacred law.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named, the ethic serves a Vaishnava vision of cosmic governance: dharma in the household mirrors the Supreme Order sustained by Vishnu, turning social duty into devotion through reverent action.