Shloka 31

गृहस्थस्य सदाचारः: शौच, तर্পण, वैश्वदेव, अतिथिधर्म, भोजन-विधि, संध्योपासन, ऋतु-धर्मः

Devanagari script

मात्रे प्रमात्रे तन्मात्रे गुरुपत्न्यै तथा नृप गुरवे मातुलादीनां स्निग्धमित्राय भूभुजे

Transliteration

mātre pramātre tanmātre gurupatnyai tathā nṛpa gurave mātulādīnāṃ snigdhamitrāya bhūbhuje

Translation

தாய், பாட்டி (நானி) மற்றும் அவளின் தாய்; குருபத்னி; அரசனே, குரு; மாமன் முதலியோர்; அன்பும் நம்பிக்கையும் கொண்ட நண்பன்; மேலும் அரசன்—இவர்களுக்கு தர்மப்படி மரியாதையும் அர்ப்பணமும் செய்ய வேண்டும்।

Word by Word

• मात्रे: to (one's) mother
• मात्रे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• प्रमात्रे: to the grandmother / ancestress (pramātṛ)
• प्रमात्रे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• तत्-मात्रे: to her mother
• तत्-मात्रे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (तस्य मात्रे)

• गुरु-पत्न्यै: to the teacher's wife
• गुरु-पत्न्यै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक) + पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (गुरोः पत्नी)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Avyaya (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• गुरवे: to the teacher
• गुरवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• मातुल-आदीनाम्: of maternal uncles and others
• मातुल-आदीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातुल (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (मातुलः आदिः येषाम्)

• स्निग्ध-मित्राय: to a dear/affectionate friend
• स्निग्ध-मित्राय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्निग्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + मित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (स्निग्धं मित्रम्)

• भूभुजे: to the ruler/king
• भूभुजे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूभुज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya; addressed here with ‘O king’ as a conventional vocative within dharma-teaching)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Additional eligible recipients of honor/offerings beyond direct pitṛ line (mother-line, guru-family, friends, rulers)

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dharma requires honoring a wider circle—mother and maternal foremothers, guru and guru’s wife, maternal relatives, affectionate friends, and the ruler—through appropriate offerings and respect.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice relational dharma: care for parents, respect teachers, maintain loyal friendships, and support just civic order through ethical participation.

Vishishtadvaita: Viśiṣṭādvaita emphasizes the self as a dependent mode of the Lord; honoring these relationships is an expression of śeṣatva (service) within His social-cosmic body.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Guru (Teacher)
• Mother
• Grandmother/Ancestresses
• Maternal uncle (Mātula)
• King/Ruler (Bhūbhuj)

FAQs

What is the significance of honoring mother, guru, and the king in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse lists core dharmic recipients of respect and offerings—family elders, the guru’s household, trusted allies, and the ruler—showing how personal virtue upholds social and cosmic order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the practical side of dharma in this context?

By naming specific recipients (mother-line elders, guru and his wife, maternal kin, friends, and the king), Parāśara frames dharma as lived obligation—expressed through honor, support, and appropriate giving.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here, even when not named directly?

In the Vishnu Purana, dharma is part of Vishnu’s sustaining power: righteous conduct and proper honoring of social pillars preserve order, reflecting Vishnu as the supreme maintainer of the world.