Shloka 16
कālacakra-वर्णनम् तथा āśrama-धarma-निरूपणम्
The Wheel of Time and the Norms of the Āśramas
स्वदारनिरतो नित्यं शिष्टाचारो जितेन्द्रिय: । पज्चभिश्न महायज्ञै: श्रद्दधानो यजेदिह
svadāra-nirato nityaṁ śiṣṭācāro jitendriyaḥ | pañcabhir mahāyajñaiḥ śraddadhāno yajed iha ||
Vāyu dit : «Le maître de maison doit demeurer toujours attaché à son épouse légitime, suivre la conduite des hommes cultivés et justes, et tenir ses sens en bride. En ce stade de la vie, avec foi, qu’il accomplisse le culte et les devoirs sacrés par les cinq grands sacrifices, honorant ainsi les dieux et tous les êtres, et soutenant l’ordre du dharma.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines key duties of a householder: fidelity to one’s spouse, adherence to the conduct of the virtuous, mastery over the senses, and faithful performance of the pañca-mahāyajñas—daily obligations that sustain gods, ancestors, beings, humans, and sacred knowledge.
Vāyudeva is speaking as a moral instructor, laying down normative guidance for gṛhastha life. Rather than describing an action scene, the passage functions as a dharma-teaching within the Ashvamedhika Parva’s broader post-war ethical and restorative discourse.