Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 50
Varṇāśrama-dharma as a Path to Bhakti
Yuga-dharma Origins, Universal Virtues, Brahmacarya and Gṛhastha Duties
वेदाध्यायस्वधास्वाहाबल्यन्नाद्यैर्यथोदयम् । देवर्षिपितृभूतानि मद्रूपाण्यन्वहं यजेत् ॥ ५० ॥
vedādhyāya-svadhā-svāhā- baly-annādyair yathodayam devarṣi-pitṛ-bhūtāni mad-rūpāṇy anv-ahaṁ yajet
Celui qui vit dans l’ordre de gṛhastha doit, chaque jour, adorer les sages par l’étude védique, les ancêtres par l’offrande du mantra svadhā, les devas par la récitation de svāhā, tous les êtres en partageant des parts de son repas, et les hommes en offrant grains et eau. Voyant les devas, les sages, les ancêtres, les êtres vivants et les humains comme des manifestations de Ma puissance, il doit accomplir quotidiennement ces cinq sacrifices.
The Lord again discusses the duties of those in the household order of life. Obviously, the five ritualistic daily sacrifices mentioned here are meant for those who are not pure devotees of the Lord and who thus have to counteract their exploitation of material nature by the abovementioned sacrifices. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is training householders, sannyāsīs, brahmacārīs and vānaprasthas to engage twenty-four hours a day in the loving service of the Lord. Those who are full-time missionary workers in ISKCON have no further obligations or sacrifices to perform, as confirmed in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.41) :
FAQs
In 11.17.50, Kṛṣṇa teaches that one should honor devas, ṛṣis, pitṛs, and all beings through prescribed daily offerings—seeing them all as manifestations of His own form.
Kṛṣṇa is instructing Uddhava in varṇāśrama-dharma and devotional culture, showing how daily Vedic duties become bhakti when performed with the vision that all recipients are connected to—and are forms of—the Supreme Lord.
Keep a daily spiritual practice (study/recitation), offer food with gratitude, respect teachers and elders, care for animals and people, and cultivate the mindset that serving any living being can be service to God when done with devotion and purity.