Shloka 9
Gṛhastha-vṛtti and Niyama: Models of Householder Livelihood and Discipline (गृहस्थवृत्ति-नियमाः)
अग्नीश्र ब्राह्म॒णांश्चार्चेद् देवता: प्रणमेत च
agnīṁś ca brāhmaṇāṁś cārcet devatāḥ praṇamet ca | kaṭvīṁ vācaṁ mukhān na brūyāt hiṁsāṁ ca na samācaret | adharmayuktaṁ hi tat | eṣā brāhmaṇasya paramparāgatā vṛttiḥ (kartavya) vidhīyate ||
Vyāsa berkata: “Hendaklah seseorang memuja Agni, memuliakan para Brāhmaṇa, dan menunduk hormat kepada para dewa. Jangan mengucapkan kata-kata yang keras, dan jangan melakukan kekerasan, kerana perbuatan demikian terikat dengan adharma. Inilah cara hidup yang diwarisi turun-temurun—yakni kewajipan—bagi seorang brāhmaṇa.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse prescribes a Brāhmaṇa’s traditional dharma: reverence through worship (Agni, Brāhmaṇas, and the gods), restraint in speech (avoiding harsh words), and restraint in action (avoiding violence), because harshness and harm are aligned with adharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Vyāsa states normative rules of behavior—especially for Brāhmaṇas—linking ritual reverence and ethical self-control as the inherited standard of proper living.