Shloka 11

Devanagari script

भिक्षाभुजश् च ये केचित् परिव्राड्ब्रह्मचारिणः ते ऽप्य् अत्रैव प्रतिष्ठन्ते गार्हस्थ्यं तेन वै परम्

Transliteration

bhikṣābhujaś ca ye kecit parivrāḍbrahmacāriṇaḥ te 'py atraiva pratiṣṭhante gārhasthyaṃ tena vai param

Translation

Even those who live on alms—wandering renunciants and brahmacārins—are sustained only by what is established here in the householder’s station; therefore the discipline of gārhasthya is truly supreme.

Word by Word

• भिक्षाभुजः: those who live on alms
• भिक्षाभुजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिक्षा (प्रातिपदिक) + भुज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (भिक्षां भुङ्क्ते इति/भिक्षया भुजः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

• परिव्राट्: wandering mendicants
• परिव्राट्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परि + व्रज् (धातु) → परिव्राट् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (परिव्राड्-शब्दः; पदान्ते ट्; बहुवचने ‘परिव्राड्’ इति पाठरूपम्)

• ब्रह्मचारिणः: celibate students
• ब्रह्मचारिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मचारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संकेत-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• प्रतिष्ठन्ते: are established / find support
• प्रतिष्ठन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• गार्हस्थ्यम्: the householder stage
• गार्हस्थ्यम्: Adheya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गार्हस्थ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अत्र विधेय-नाम (predicate nominative)

• तेन: therefore
• तेन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; हेतु/करणार्थे (therefore/by that)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् गार्हस्थ्यम्-इति

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How the four āśramas relate, and why gārhasthya is praised as the support of the others.

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even renunciants and students relying on alms stand upon the householder’s established order; thus gārhasthya is ‘param’ as the social-sacral support of all āśramas.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: If in family life, treat earning and feeding others as sacred responsibility; if renounced, honor and minimize burden on householders through restraint and gratitude.

Vishishtadvaita: Affirms a real, divinely ordered society where each āśrama serves the whole; service within the world is not negated but integrated into spiritual pursuit.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Parivrājaka (wandering renunciants)
• Brahmacārins (students)
• Gārhasthya (householder āśrama)

FAQs

What is the significance of Gārhasthya in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse states that even renunciants and students who live by alms ultimately depend on the householder’s support, so gārhasthya is praised as the foundational and ‘supreme’ āśrama in social-dharmic terms.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the relationship between renunciation and household life?

Parāśara frames renunciation and student life as spiritually important yet practically sustained by householders; the wandering monk and brahmacārin can remain established only because householders maintain charity, food, and ordered life.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

By upholding dharma through gārhasthya—charity, ritual continuity, and social stability—society aligns with Vishnu’s sustaining power (sthiti), reflecting Vishnu as the Supreme Reality who preserves cosmic order.