Shloka 17
Gārhasthya-dharma: Vāsudeva–Pṛthivī-saṃvāda
Householder Duties and Daily Offerings
पितृन् संतर्पयित्वा तु बलिं कुर्याद् विधानतः । वैश्वदेवं ततः कुर्यात् पश्चाद् ब्राह्यगवाचनम्
pitṝn santarpayitvā tu baliṁ kuryād vidhānataḥ | vaiśvadevaṁ tataḥ kuryāt paścād brāhyagavācanam ||
Après avoir d’abord apaisé les Pitṛs—les esprits des ancêtres—par les offrandes prescrites, on doit ensuite présenter le bali quotidien selon le rite. Puis l’on accomplira la cérémonie de Vaiśvadeva, et enfin l’on passera à la récitation et à l’enseignement du savoir sacré brahmanique—ordonnant ainsi les devoirs domestiques conformément au dharma.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the proper sequence of a householder’s daily dharmic duties: first honor the ancestors (Pitṛ-yajña/tarpaṇa), then make the prescribed bali offering, then perform the Vaiśvadeva rite, and finally engage in sacred recitation/teaching—showing that ritual gratitude, orderly conduct, and scriptural learning together sustain dharma.
Vāyudeva is instructing on household religious observances within the Anuśāsana Parva’s broader discourse on dharma. Here he outlines a step-by-step routine of offerings and study, emphasizing correct procedure (vidhānataḥ) and the ethical priority of honoring ancestors and the divine before turning to scriptural recitation.