Shloka 16
कālacakra-वर्णनम् तथा āśrama-धarma-निरूपणम्
The Wheel of Time and the Norms of the Āśramas
स्वदारनिरतो नित्यं शिष्टाचारो जितेन्द्रिय: । पज्चभिश्न महायज्ञै: श्रद्दधानो यजेदिह,अपनी ही स्त्रीपर प्रेम रखना, सदा सत्पुरुषोंक आचारका पालन करना और जितेन्द्रिय होना गृहस्थके लिये परम आवश्यक है। इस आश्रममें उसे श्रद्धापूर्वक पठचमहायज्ञोंके द्वारा देवता आदिका यजन करना चाहिये
svadāra-nirato nityaṁ śiṣṭācāro jitendriyaḥ | pañcabhir mahāyajñaiḥ śraddadhāno yajed iha ||
Disse Vāyu: “O chefe de família deve estar sempre devotado à sua própria esposa legítima, seguir a conduta dos cultos e justos e manter os sentidos sob controle. Nesta etapa da vida, com fé, deve cumprir o culto e os deveres sagrados por meio dos cinco grandes sacrifícios, honrando assim os deuses e todos os seres e sustentando a ordem do dharma.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines key duties of a householder: fidelity to one’s spouse, adherence to the conduct of the virtuous, mastery over the senses, and faithful performance of the pañca-mahāyajñas—daily obligations that sustain gods, ancestors, beings, humans, and sacred knowledge.
Vāyudeva is speaking as a moral instructor, laying down normative guidance for gṛhastha life. Rather than describing an action scene, the passage functions as a dharma-teaching within the Ashvamedhika Parva’s broader post-war ethical and restorative discourse.