Shloka 5
गृहस्थस्य सदाचारः: शौच, तर্পण, वैश्वदेव, अतिथिधर्म, भोजन-विधि, संध्योपासन, ऋतु-धर्मः
ब्राह्मे मुहूर्ते स्वस्थे च मानसे मतिमान् नृप विबुद्धश् चिन्तयेद् धर्मम् अर्थं चास्याविरोधिनम्
brāhme muhūrte svasthe ca mānase matimān nṛpa vibuddhaś cintayed dharmam arthaṃ cāsyāvirodhinam
हे नृप, ब्राह्ममुहूर्त में, जब मन स्वस्थ और शांत हो, तब बुद्धिमान जाग्रत पुरुष धर्म का—और धर्म के अविरोधी अर्थ का भी—चिंतन करे।
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya, framed as guidance for kings/royal duty)
FAQs
This verse presents Brahma-muhurta as the ideal pre-dawn time for a ruler’s clear-minded reflection, establishing inner discipline as the basis for righteous governance.
He permits the pursuit of artha (prosperity and policy) only when it remains avirodhī—never conflicting with dharma—so political success is subordinated to moral order.
Even without naming Vishnu directly, the verse assumes dharma as the sustaining cosmic order—classically upheld by Vishnu—so a king’s artha must align with that higher, preserving principle.