Adhyaya 29 — Alarka’s Inquiry and Madalasa’s Teaching on Householder Dharma (Gārhasthya), Vaiśvadeva, and Atithi Hospitality
उपकाराय यन्नृणां यच्च वर्ज्यं गृहे सताम् ।
यथा च क्रियते तन्मे यथावत् पृच्छतो वद ॥
upakārāya yan nṛṇāṃ yac ca varjyaṃ gṛhe satām | yathā ca kriyate tan me yathāvat pṛcchato vada ||
ഞാൻ ചോദിക്കുന്നതുപോലെ തന്നെ എനിക്ക് ശരിയായി പറയുക—ഗൃഹത്തിൽ ജനഹിതത്തിനുള്ളത് എന്ത്, സജ്ജന്മാർ ഒഴിവാക്കേണ്ടത് എന്ത്, അവയെ എങ്ങനെ ചെയ്യണം എന്നും।
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Householder life is presented as a moral discipline requiring discernment: not everything possible at home is permissible; the virtuous distinguish what benefits others from what must be avoided.
Normative dharma instruction; not a pancalakṣaṇa segment, but a practical ethics module embedded in the Purāṇa.
The household is treated as a microcosm where intention and method (yathā-kriyā) matter: correct manner transforms ordinary acts into dharma, while negligence turns them into binding fault.