Shloka 10
अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः
Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving
गृहस्थानां तु सर्वेषां विनाशमभिकाड्क्षताम् । निधनं शोभनं तात पुलिनेषु क्रियावताम्
gṛhasthānāṃ tu sarveṣāṃ vināśam abhikāṅkṣatām | nidhanaṃ śobhanaṃ tāta pulineṣu kriyāvatām ||
Dijo Parāśara: Para todos los cabezas de familia que han llegado a anhelar el fin de su curso mundano, hijo mío, la muerte más apropiada es hallarla en las riberas del río, mientras se cumplen los ritos sagrados prescritos.
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
For a householder who has turned toward life’s conclusion, the text praises an end met in a ritually and ethically ordered way—on sacred river-banks, while performing prescribed duties—emphasizing dharma and mindful preparation rather than a chaotic or negligent death.
Parāśara addresses a listener (“tāta”), advising on what constitutes a ‘good’ or fitting death for householders: dying at a holy riverside while engaged in religious observances.