Shloka 71

गृहस्थस्य सदाचारः: शौच, तर্পण, वैश्वदेव, अतिथिधर्म, भोजन-विधि, संध्योपासन, ऋतु-धर्मः

Devanagari script

ततः सुवासिनीदुःखिगर्भिणीवृद्धबालकान् भोजयेत् संस्कृतान्नेन प्रथमं चरमं गृही

Transliteration

tataḥ suvāsinīduḥkhigarbhiṇīvṛddhabālakān bhojayet saṃskṛtānnena prathamaṃ caramaṃ gṛhī

Translation

បន្ទាប់មក ម្ចាស់ផ្ទះគួរឲ្យអាហារ—មុនខ្លួនឯង—ដល់ស្ត្រីដែលបានតុបតែងនិងគោរព, អ្នកទុក្ខលំបាក, ស្ត្រីមានផ្ទៃពោះ, មនុស្សចាស់ និងកុមារ ដោយអាហារដែលបានរៀបចំយ៉ាងត្រឹមត្រូវ និងបានបរិសុទ្ធ; ហើយបន្ទាប់មកទើបខ្លួនឯងបរិភោគជាអ្នកចុងក្រោយ។

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/अनन्तरार्थक)

• su-vāsinī-duḥkhi-garbhiṇī-vṛddha-bālakān: well-dressed women, the distressed, pregnant women, the old, and children
• su-vāsinī-duḥkhi-garbhiṇī-vṛddha-bālakān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + vāsinī (प्रातिपदिक) + duḥkhin (प्रातिपदिक) + garbhiṇī (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛddha (प्रातिपदिक) + bālaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; समाहार/इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (enumerative): ‘सुवासिन्यः, दुःखिनः, गर्भिण्यः, वृद्धाः, बालकाः’ इत्येतान् (समूहं)

• bhojayet: should feed
• bhojayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु) (णिच्) → bhojaya (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative) ‘should feed’

• saṃskṛta-annena: with well-prepared food
• saṃskṛta-annena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃskṛta (कृदन्त; √kṛ with sam) + anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भावः ‘संस्कृतं अन्नं’ → ‘with prepared/purified food’

• prathamaṃ: first
• prathamaṃ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverbial accusative), क्रमवाचक

• caramam: last
• caramam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: carama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverbial accusative), अन्त्यक्रमवाचक

• gṛhī: the householder
• gṛhī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘householder’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Order of feeding in the household—priority to honored women and vulnerable persons before the householder eats.

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: compassionate, practical

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The gṛhastha must prioritize feeding honored women, the distressed, pregnant women, the elderly, and children with consecrated food, eating only after them as an act of dharmic protection.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Center daily life around care for dependents and the vulnerable; make meals an occasion for generosity, not entitlement.

Vishishtadvaita: Household dharma becomes embodied bhakti: nurturing Sri-like auspiciousness (śrī) through protection and nourishment of those under one’s care.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya

FAQs

What is the significance of feeding others first in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames household life as dharma-in-action: the gṛhastha preserves social order by prioritizing those who must be protected—women to be honored, the distressed, pregnant women, elders, and children—before personal consumption.

How does Sage Parāśara explain proper household conduct (gṛhastha-dharma) here?

Parāśara teaches an order of eating: food should be prepared in a refined, ritually fit way and offered first to those deserving care; the householder eats last, embodying restraint and responsibility.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purana presents dharma as aligned with the Supreme’s sustaining function: protecting dependents and honoring rightful recipients becomes a lived form of devotion to the cosmic preserver.