Shloka 17
Gārhasthya-dharma: Vāsudeva–Pṛthivī-saṃvāda
Householder Duties and Daily Offerings
पितृन् संतर्पयित्वा तु बलिं कुर्याद् विधानतः । वैश्वदेवं ततः कुर्यात् पश्चाद् ब्राह्यगवाचनम्
pitṝn santarpayitvā tu baliṁ kuryād vidhānataḥ | vaiśvadevaṁ tataḥ kuryāt paścād brāhyagavācanam ||
प्रथम विधिपूर्वक पितरांचे तर्पण करून, मग नियमाने बलि द्यावी. त्यानंतर वैश्वदेव करावा आणि शेवटी ब्राह्मणविद्येचा स्वाध्याय व अध्यापन करावे—असा गृहस्थधर्माचा क्रम आहे.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the proper sequence of a householder’s daily dharmic duties: first honor the ancestors (Pitṛ-yajña/tarpaṇa), then make the prescribed bali offering, then perform the Vaiśvadeva rite, and finally engage in sacred recitation/teaching—showing that ritual gratitude, orderly conduct, and scriptural learning together sustain dharma.
Vāyudeva is instructing on household religious observances within the Anuśāsana Parva’s broader discourse on dharma. Here he outlines a step-by-step routine of offerings and study, emphasizing correct procedure (vidhānataḥ) and the ethical priority of honoring ancestors and the divine before turning to scriptural recitation.