Shloka 19

चत्वारोऽाश्रमाः — ब्रह्मचर्यादि मोक्षाश्रमपर्यन्तम्

The Four Āśramas as a graded path to mokṣa

Devanagari script

पर्णमूलफलाहारः केशश्मश्रुजटाधरः भूमिशायी भवेत् तत्र मुनिः सर्वातिथिर् नृप

Transliteration

parṇamūlaphalāhāraḥ keśaśmaśrujaṭādharaḥ bhūmiśāyī bhavet tatra muniḥ sarvātithir nṛpa

Translation

Living only on leaves, roots, and fruits—wearing long hair, beard, and matted locks—he should sleep upon the bare ground. There, O king, that sage becomes ‘a guest to all’, belonging to none and welcomed by all.

Word by Word

• पर्णमूलफलाहारः: one who eats leaves, roots, and fruits
• पर्णमूलफलाहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्ण + मूल + फल + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); ‘पर्ण-मूल-फल-आहारः’ = whose food is leaves, roots, fruits

• केशश्मश्रुजटाधरः: wearing hair, beard, and matted locks
• केशश्मश्रुजटाधरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश + श्मश्रु + जटा + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); ‘केश-श्मश्रु-जटा धरति’

• भूमिशायी: sleeping on the ground
• भूमिशायी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि + शायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); ‘भूमौ शयते’

• भवेत्: should be/become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देश-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• मुनिः: sage
• मुनिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सर्वातिथिः: (as) a guest to all / hospitable to all
• सर्वातिथिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण; ‘सर्वेषां अतिथिः’/‘सर्वान् अतिथीन् इव’ (contextual: hospitable to all)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction/narration to Maitreya; addressing a king within the narrated account)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Vānaprastha discipline: austerity, simplicity, and universal hospitality (‘sarvātithi’)

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The forest-dwelling sage lives on simple forest foods, adopts ascetic marks, sleeps on the ground, and becomes ‘a guest to all’—free from possessive ties.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice simplicity and non-possessiveness; cultivate friendliness without dependency—be available to serve while not demanding ownership or status.

Vishishtadvaita: Detachment expresses surrender: when the self ceases to ‘own’, it can belong wholly to the Lord, relating to all beings with equal regard as His dependents (śeṣatva).

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Sage (Muni)
• King (Nṛpa)

FAQs

What is the significance of being called ‘sarvātithi’ (guest of all) in the Vishnu Purana?

It portrays the renunciant as socially unattached and universally received—one who owns nothing, depends on none, and therefore can be welcomed everywhere without obligation.

How does Sage Parāśara frame ascetic discipline when instructing about dharma?

He emphasizes simplicity and restraint—natural foods, minimal possessions, austere living—showing that inner freedom and steadiness are cultivated by outward non-indulgence.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the discipline supports living in harmony with Vishnu’s sustaining order (dharma), where self-control and detachment uphold the cosmic and moral balance He preserves.