Shloka 50
मायामोह-प्रवर्तन, वेदमार्ग-बहिष्कार, तथा पाषण्ड-संसर्ग-दोषः
Māyāmoha’s Delusion, Rejection of the Vedic Path, and the Fault of Heretical Association
अनभ्यर्च्य ऋषीन् देवान् पितृभूतातिथींस् तथा यो भुङ्क्ते तस्य संभाषात् पतन्ति नरके नराः
anabhyarcya ṛṣīn devān pitṛbhūtātithīṃs tathā yo bhuṅkte tasya saṃbhāṣāt patanti narake narāḥ
Whoever eats without first reverently honoring the sages, the gods, the ancestors, living beings, and the guest—by association and converse with such a one, people too fall into hell.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Food ethics (bhakṣya/naivedya) and the sin of eating without honoring ṛṣi-deva-pitṛ-bhūta-atithi
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Eating without prior reverence to ṛṣis, devas, pitṛs, beings, and guests is karmically polluting, and even association with such disregard is said to drag one toward naraka.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Sanctify consumption: cultivate gratitude, offer/share food, respect guests and dependents, and avoid communities that normalize exploitative or careless living.
Vishishtadvaita: Daily acts (like eating) are integrated into devotion through offering and gratitude, aligning karma with the Lord’s order rather than private consumption.
FAQs
This verse frames eating as a dharmic act: food should be preceded by reverence and sharing—toward rishis (learning), devas (cosmic powers), pitrs (lineage), bhutas (compassionate coexistence), and atithis (social responsibility).
Parāśara states that one who eats without these preliminaries incurs grave demerit, and even those who keep close association—symbolized here by “conversation”—are said to share the downward moral pull.
Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching assumes Vishnu as the sustaining Supreme Reality: aligning daily acts like eating with dharma is a form of living worship that upholds the order Vishnu maintains.