Shloka 9

चत्वारोऽाश्रमाः — ब्रह्मचर्यादि मोक्षाश्रमपर्यन्तम्

The Four Āśramas as a graded path to mokṣa

Devanagari script

निवापेन पितॄन् अर्चेद् यज्ञैर् देवांस् तथातिथीन् अन्नैर् मुनींश् च स्वाध्यायैर् अपत्येन प्रजापतिम्

Transliteration

nivāpena pitṝn arced yajñair devāṃs tathātithīn annair munīṃś ca svādhyāyair apatyena prajāpatim

Translation

നിവാപം (ശ്രാദ്ധാർപ്പണം) കൊണ്ട് പിതൃകളെ ആരാധിക്കണം; യജ്ഞങ്ങളാൽ ദേവന്മാരെ; അന്നംകൊണ്ട് അതിഥിയെ സത്കരിക്കണം; സ്വാധ്യായംകൊണ്ട് മുനിമാരെ; സന്താനത്താൽ പ്രജാപതിയെ—ഇങ്ങനെ നിയതധർമ്മക്രമം നിലനിർത്തണം.

Word by Word

• निवापेन: by offering (food oblation)
• निवापेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पितॄन्: the ancestors
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अर्चेत्: should worship/honor
• अर्चेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• यज्ञैः: by sacrifices
• यज्ञैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• देवान्: the gods
• देवान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), ‘likewise/also’

• अतिथीन्: guests
• अतिथीन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अन्नैः: with food
• अन्नैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• मुनीन्: sages
• मुनीन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• स्वाध्यायैः: by self-study/recitation
• स्वाध्यायैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वाध्याय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अपत्येन: by offspring/children
• अपत्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रजापतिम्: Prajāpati (lord of creatures)
• प्रजापतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजापति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Gṛhastha’s integrative obligations: honoring pitṛs, devas, guests, sages, and Prajāpati through distinct acts

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: systematic and world-ordering

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: By prescribed offerings—śrāddha to pitṛs, yajña to devas, food to guests, svādhyāya to sages, and progeny for Prajāpati—the householder sustains the cosmic-social order under Vishnu’s sovereignty.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Maintain gratitude across ‘five debts’: ancestors, society, teachers/sages, guests/strangers, and future generations; express it through regular giving, study, and responsible family life.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s immanent governance is affirmed through the dharma-network: many relations and duties form His body (śarīra) while He remains the inner ruler (antaryāmin).

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Antaryamin: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Pitrs (Ancestors)
• Devas
• Atithi (Guest)
• Munis (Sages)
• Prajapati

FAQs

What is the significance of honoring Pitṛs, Devas, guests, sages, and Prajāpati in the Vishnu Purana?

The verse maps key obligations of a householder—ancestral rites, sacrificial worship, hospitality, learning, and progeny—showing how personal life becomes participation in sustaining dharma and the world-order upheld by Vishnu.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the householder’s role in maintaining universal order?

By assigning specific acts to specific recipients (Pitṛs, Devas, atithis, munis, Prajāpati), Parāśara presents the householder as a central pillar of social and ritual continuity, where daily duty becomes a mechanism for stability across generations.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana frames dharma and sacrificial order as ultimately grounded in the Supreme Reality (Vishnu); these duties align the individual with that higher sustaining principle.