Shloka 346
Prāyaścitta-vidhāna: Tapas, Dāna, Vrata, and Proportional Expiation (प्रायश्चित्तविधानम्)
पूजयित्वा ततः पश्चाद् गृहस्थो भोक्तुमहति । गृहस्थको चाहिये कि वह पहले देवताओं, ऋषियों, मनुष्यों (अतिथियों), पितरों और घरके देवताओंका पूजन करके पीछे अपने भोजन करे
pūjayitvā tataḥ paścād gṛhastho bhoktumarhati |
วยาสะสอนว่า—คฤหัสถ์พึงบริโภคได้ก็ต่อเมื่อได้บูชาและให้เกียรติก่อนแล้ว คือแด่เทพเจ้า ฤๅษี มนุษย์ผู้มาเยือน (อาคันตุกะ) บรรพชน และเทวะประจำเรือน; แล้วจึงค่อยรับประทานอาหาร
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A householder should not treat food as mere personal consumption; one should first fulfill obligations of reverence and offering—honoring the divine, the sages, guests, ancestors, and household deities—so that eating becomes a dharmic act rooted in gratitude and responsibility.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on conduct, Vyāsa states a rule of household discipline: only after performing prior honors/offerings does the gṛhastha become fit to eat, emphasizing ordered duties before personal enjoyment.