Shloka 346
Prāyaścitta-vidhāna: Tapas, Dāna, Vrata, and Proportional Expiation (प्रायश्चित्तविधानम्)
पूजयित्वा ततः पश्चाद् गृहस्थो भोक्तुमहति । गृहस्थको चाहिये कि वह पहले देवताओं, ऋषियों, मनुष्यों (अतिथियों), पितरों और घरके देवताओंका पूजन करके पीछे अपने भोजन करे
pūjayitvā tataḥ paścād gṛhastho bhoktumarhati |
Vyāsa mengajarkan bahawa seorang ketua rumah tangga hanya layak makan setelah terlebih dahulu menunaikan penghormatan dan pemujaan yang wajar—bermula dengan para dewa, kemudian para resi, tetamu manusia, para leluhur (pitṛ), dan dewa-dewa pelindung rumah. Inti etikanya: kenikmatan peribadi mesti datang sesudah kewajipan suci dan sosial; menerima makanan hendaklah menjadi perbuatan berdisiplin yang berakar pada kesyukuran, layanan tetamu, dan hormat kepada tertib yang menopang kehidupan.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A householder should not treat food as mere personal consumption; one should first fulfill obligations of reverence and offering—honoring the divine, the sages, guests, ancestors, and household deities—so that eating becomes a dharmic act rooted in gratitude and responsibility.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on conduct, Vyāsa states a rule of household discipline: only after performing prior honors/offerings does the gṛhastha become fit to eat, emphasizing ordered duties before personal enjoyment.