Adhyaya 50 — The Pitris
ब्रह्मोवाच तवाश्रयो गृहं पुंसां जनश्चाधार्मिको बलम् ।
पुष्टिं नित्यक्रियाहान्या भवान् वत्स ! गमिष्यति ॥
brahmovāca tavāśrayo gṛhaṃ puṃsāṃ janaścādhārmiko balam | puṣṭiṃ nityakriyāhānyā bhavān vatsa! gamiṣyati ||
Brahmā bersabda: “Tempat perlindunganmu ialah rumah-rumah manusia, dan orang yang tidak ber-dharma itulah kekuatanmu. Dengan mengabaikan upacara harian, wahai yang dikasihi, engkau akan memperoleh pemeliharaan dan keteguhan.”
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Neglect of nitya-karmas (daily disciplines such as cleanliness, offerings, prayer, respectful conduct) is depicted as actively empowering destructive forces. The ‘adhārmika person’ becomes the ecosystem in which deprivation and disorder thrive.
Falls under dharma-śikṣā (ethical/ritual instruction) rather than the five formal purāṇic topics; it is a moral application embedded in narrative.
‘House’ can also mean the body-mind complex; when daily inner disciplines are abandoned, tamas gains strength and becomes ‘at home,’ feeding on omission rather than commission.