Shloka 10
Vasiṣṭha on Saṃsāra, Guṇas, and Misattributed Agency
Mahābhārata 12.292
स्वाध्यायेन महर्षिभ्यो देवेभ्यो यज्ञकर्मणा । पितृभ्य: श्राद्धदानेन नृणामभ्यर्चनेन च
svādhyāyena maharṣibhyo devebhyo yajñakarmaṇā | pitṛbhyaḥ śrāddhadānena nṛṇām abhyarcaneṇa ca ||
Parāśara disse: Pela recitação e pelo estudo do Veda (svādhyāya), o homem quita sua dívida para com os grandes rishis; pelos ritos sacrificiais (yajña), retribui aos deuses; pelas oferendas de śrāddha e pelas dádivas, satisfaz os ancestrais; e honrando e servindo as pessoas—especialmente os hóspedes—liberta-se da dívida devida aos seres humanos. Assim, a vida deve ser vivida como um pagamento disciplinado dessas obrigações fundamentais.
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human life carries foundational obligations: to sages (through Vedic study), to gods (through yajña and sacred rites), to ancestors (through śrāddha and giving), and to fellow humans/guests (through honor, hospitality, and service). Fulfilling these is presented as a practical framework of dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, the sage Parāśara enumerates the means by which one becomes free of the major ‘debts’ (ṛṇas) that bind a householder—linking learning, ritual, ancestral rites, charity, and hospitality into a single ethical program.