Shloka 71
गृहस्थस्य सदाचारः: शौच, तर্পण, वैश्वदेव, अतिथिधर्म, भोजन-विधि, संध्योपासन, ऋतु-धर्मः
ततः सुवासिनीदुःखिगर्भिणीवृद्धबालकान् भोजयेत् संस्कृतान्नेन प्रथमं चरमं गृही
tataḥ suvāsinīduḥkhigarbhiṇīvṛddhabālakān bhojayet saṃskṛtānnena prathamaṃ caramaṃ gṛhī
Después, el dueño de casa debe alimentar primero—antes que a sí mismo—a las mujeres honradas y adornadas, a los afligidos, a las embarazadas, a los ancianos y a los niños, con alimento bien preparado y santificado; y sólo entonces comer él, al final.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Order of feeding in the household—priority to honored women and vulnerable persons before the householder eats.
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: compassionate, practical
Concept: The gṛhastha must prioritize feeding honored women, the distressed, pregnant women, the elderly, and children with consecrated food, eating only after them as an act of dharmic protection.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Center daily life around care for dependents and the vulnerable; make meals an occasion for generosity, not entitlement.
Vishishtadvaita: Household dharma becomes embodied bhakti: nurturing Sri-like auspiciousness (śrī) through protection and nourishment of those under one’s care.
Bhakti Type: Dasya
Lakshmi Presence: Sri
FAQs
This verse frames household life as dharma-in-action: the gṛhastha preserves social order by prioritizing those who must be protected—women to be honored, the distressed, pregnant women, elders, and children—before personal consumption.
Parāśara teaches an order of eating: food should be prepared in a refined, ritually fit way and offered first to those deserving care; the householder eats last, embodying restraint and responsibility.
Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purana presents dharma as aligned with the Supreme’s sustaining function: protecting dependents and honoring rightful recipients becomes a lived form of devotion to the cosmic preserver.