Shloka 346
Prāyaścitta-vidhāna: Tapas, Dāna, Vrata, and Proportional Expiation (प्रायश्चित्तविधानम्)
पूजयित्वा ततः पश्चाद् गृहस्थो भोक्तुमहति । गृहस्थको चाहिये कि वह पहले देवताओं, ऋषियों, मनुष्यों (अतिथियों), पितरों और घरके देवताओंका पूजन करके पीछे अपने भोजन करे
pūjayitvā tataḥ paścād gṛhastho bhoktumarhati |
Vyāsa enseigne que le maître de maison ne devient digne de manger qu’après avoir d’abord rendu l’honneur et le culte qui conviennent—aux dieux d’abord, puis aux ṛṣi, aux hôtes humains, aux ancêtres (pitṛ) et aux divinités du foyer. Le sens éthique est que la jouissance privée doit venir après les devoirs sacrés et sociaux : recevoir la nourriture doit être un acte discipliné, enraciné dans la gratitude, l’hospitalité et la révérence envers les ordres qui soutiennent la vie.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A householder should not treat food as mere personal consumption; one should first fulfill obligations of reverence and offering—honoring the divine, the sages, guests, ancestors, and household deities—so that eating becomes a dharmic act rooted in gratitude and responsibility.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on conduct, Vyāsa states a rule of household discipline: only after performing prior honors/offerings does the gṛhastha become fit to eat, emphasizing ordered duties before personal enjoyment.