ब्रह्मचारी गृहस्थो वा वानप्रस्थोऽथ भिक्षुकः । एषामाधारभूतोसौ गृहस्थो नान्यथेति च
brahmacārī gṛhastho vā vānaprastho'tha bhikṣukaḥ | eṣāmādhārabhūtosau gṛhastho nānyatheti ca
Sama ada seseorang itu brahmacari, grihastha, vanaprastha atau bhiksu—antara semuanya, grihastha ialah tonggak sokongan bagi semua; tidak mungkin selain demikian.
Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A Kāśī householder stands at the threshold with water-pot and offerings, welcoming a brahmacārin and a bhikṣu; behind him a small domestic shrine with lamp and bilva leaves, suggesting the home as the hub of dharma.
The householder’s dharma sustains society and enables the other āśramas; therefore it is foundational.
The verse is within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa framework, aligning household duty with the broader sanctity of Kāśī, though no single tīrtha is named in this line.
No specific rite is prescribed here; it establishes the social-spiritual hierarchy of the four āśramas.