Shloka 21
गृहस्थस्य सदाचारः: शौच, तर্পण, वैश्वदेव, अतिथिधर्म, भोजन-विधि, संध्योपासन, ऋतु-धर्मः
शीर्षण्यानि ततः खानि मूर्धानं च नृपालभेत् बाहू नाभिं च तोयेन हृदयं चापि संस्पृशेत्
śīrṣaṇyāni tataḥ khāni mūrdhānaṃ ca nṛpālabhet bāhū nābhiṃ ca toyena hṛdayaṃ cāpi saṃspṛśet
பின்னர் நீரால் தலையின் பகுதிகளை, அதன் பின் உடலின் துவாரங்களை, மேலும் தலைச்சிகரத்தையும் தொட வேண்டும்; நீரால் கைப்பாகங்கள், நாபி, இதயத்தையும் தொட வேண்டும்।
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya; verse includes an honorific vocative nṛpāla)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Mapping purification onto the body: touching head, apertures, crown, arms, navel, and heart with water
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
Concept: Purification culminates in consecrating the whole embodied person—senses, vital centers, and heart—so inner devotion matches outer cleanliness.
Vedantic Theme: Atman
Application: Before worship, pause to recollect and ‘offer’ the senses and heart through a brief cleansing ritual or mindful touch, aligning attention with intention.
Vishishtadvaita: Antaryāmin orientation: touching the heart underscores the Lord’s indwelling presence, integrating body-sense life into God-centered purity.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Antaryamin: Yes
FAQs
This verse presents a dharmic sequence of purification where water is used to sanctify key bodily loci—signifying external cleanliness aligned with inner readiness for sacred acts.
In this instructional context, Parāśara treats purification as a regulated practice: ordered gestures with water that discipline the body and mind before prayer, recitation, or worship.
Even when the verse is procedural, its purpose is devotional and cosmic: dharma and purity are portrayed as supports for approaching Vishnu—the supreme sustaining reality—through right practice.