Shloka 35
शूद्रैश् च द्विजशुश्रूषातत्परैर् मुनिसत्तमाः तथा स्त्रीभिर् अनायासात् पतिशुश्रूषयैव हि
śūdraiś ca dvijaśuśrūṣātatparair munisattamāḥ tathā strībhir anāyāsāt patiśuśrūṣayaiva hi
O best of sages, Śūdras devoted to serving the twice-born, and likewise women—without arduous exertion—readily attain merit through single-minded service to their husbands alone.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Accessible means of gaining merit/dharma for different social stations in Kali-yuga
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: didactic
Concept: Merit is attainable through faithfully performed role-duties expressed as service—here, attentive service to the worthy and household fidelity—without severe austerity.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Treat one’s responsibilities as worship: serve teachers/elders conscientiously, honor commitments, and perform daily work with integrity and self-restraint.
Vishishtadvaita: Karma becomes a mode of devotion when offered within Vishnu’s cosmic order; duty is reinterpreted as service (śeṣatva) rather than self-assertion.
Bhakti Type: Dasya
FAQs
The verse presents service as a direct, accessible means to earn merit in Kali-yuga—Śūdras through serving dvijas, and women through devoted service to their husbands.
Parāśara frames Kali-yuga as an age where arduous austerities are less emphasized, and where dharma is approached through simpler, duty-based conduct aligned with one’s station.
Though not named in the verse, the teaching supports a Vaishnava moral order where fulfilling dharma sustains cosmic stability ultimately under Vishnu’s sovereignty as the preserver of order.