Shloka 38
Vidyā–Avidyā and the Twenty-Fifth Principle
Sāṃkhya–Yoga Clarification
सर्वात्मनानुकुर्वीत गृहस्थ: कर्मनिश्चयम् । दाक्ष्येण हव्यकव्यार्थ स्वधर्मे विचरन् नृप
sarvātmanānukurvīta gṛhasthaḥ karmaniścayam | dākṣyeṇa havyakavyārtha svadharme vicaran nṛpa naraśvara |
Parāśara disse: «Ó rei, senhor entre os homens, o chefe de família deve, com todo o seu ser, firmar uma decisão quanto aos seus deveres próprios. Movendo-se dentro do seu svadharma, deve executar com habilidade os ritos destinados aos deuses e aos ancestrais—como os sacrifícios e o śrāddha—para que sua vida se torne estável, responsável e benéfica à ordem sagrada.»
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a householder must wholeheartedly commit to his prescribed duties and perform them with competence—especially the obligations toward gods (yajña/havya) and ancestors (śrāddha/kavya)—as an essential expression of svadharma.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, the sage Parāśara addresses a king, advising him on the proper conduct of the householder stage: firm resolve in duty and skillful performance of sacrificial and ancestral rites.