Shloka 5
Vānaprastha-Dharma: Forest Discipline, Vaikhānasa Austerities, and Śiva-Āśrama as the Liberative Refuge
पूजयित्वातिथिं नित्यं स्नात्वा चाभ्यर्चयेत् सुरान् / गृहादाहृत्य चाश्नीयादष्टौ ग्रासान् समाहितः
pūjayitvātithiṃ nityaṃ snātvā cābhyarcayet surān / gṛhādāhṛtya cāśnīyādaṣṭau grāsān samāhitaḥ
เมื่อบูชาและต้อนรับอาคันตุกะทุกวันแล้ว อาบน้ำชำระกาย และสักการะเหล่าเทวะตามพิธี จากนั้นนำอาหารจากเรือนของตนเองมา รับประทานแปดคำด้วยจิตสงบและตั้งมั่น.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing sages on dharma (householder discipline)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
By prescribing composure (samāhita) and restraint in eating, the verse points to inner mastery—purifying conduct so the mind becomes fit to recognize the steady, witnessing Self beyond appetite and social obligation.
It emphasizes preparatory yogic disciplines: purity through bathing, devotion through worship (abhyarcana), and sense-control through measured food intake (aṣṭau grāsān) with a collected mind (samāhita), aligning with Pashupata-style inner discipline.
Rather than sectarian rivalry, it presents a unified dharmic path: worship of the divine (surān) and disciplined living as shared foundations across Shaiva–Vaishnava practice, preparing the seeker for higher realization taught in the Kurma Purana.