Shloka 201
The Five Great Sacrifices: Supremacy of Honoring Parents, Pativrata Dharma, Truthfulness, and Śrāddha
श्रीभगवानुवाच । दिनैकं मासपक्षौ वा पक्षार्धं वाथ वत्सरं । पित्रोर्भक्तिः कृता येन स च गच्छेन्ममालयं
śrībhagavānuvāca | dinaikaṃ māsapakṣau vā pakṣārdhaṃ vātha vatsaraṃ | pitrorbhaktiḥ kṛtā yena sa ca gacchenmamālayaṃ
خداوندِ برکت والے نے فرمایا: چاہے ایک دن، یا ایک مہینہ، یا ایک پندرہ دن، یا آدھا پندرہ دن، یا ایک سال—جو اپنے ماں باپ کی بھکتی اور خدمت کرے، وہ بھی میرے دھام کو پہنچتا ہے۔
Śrī Bhagavān (the Lord, i.e., Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa in Purāṇic context)
Concept: Even limited-duration sincere service to one’s parents becomes a salvific dharma leading to Viṣṇu’s abode.
Application: Set a concrete vow of care—daily respectful speech, material support, and attentive presence—treating it as worship; even short, consistent periods are spiritually potent.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"In a lamp-lit household shrine, a devoted son/daughter gently serves aged parents—offering water, food, and a shawl—while a subtle divine radiance reveals Nārāyaṇa’s presence as the unseen witness. In the upper space, Vaikuṇṭha appears like a distant lotus-city, suggesting the promised destination of such service.","primary_figures":["Nārāyaṇa (subtle, visionary presence)","devoted child (householder)","mother","father"],"setting":"A simple dharmic home with a small Viṣṇu altar, tulasī pot near the doorway, and a clean dining space prepared for elders.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["sapphire blue","warm ghee-lamp gold","ivory white","tulasī green","vermillion red"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a serene domestic sevā scene—child offering pādya and a shawl to seated parents before a small Viṣṇu altar; Nārāyaṇa’s faint Vaikuṇṭha vision above in a lotus aureole; heavy gold leaf halos, rich maroon background, emerald-green borders, gem-studded ornaments on the deity icon, intricate floral motifs around the shrine.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate household interior with delicate lines—aged parents on a low wooden seat, child kneeling with a water vessel; a soft, cloud-like Vaikuṇṭha vignette in the sky; cool pastel palette, refined faces, patterned textiles, a small tulasī plant by the threshold, lyrical calm.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined figures—parents and child in respectful gesture; a stylized Nārāyaṇa aura behind the shrine icon; flat yet vibrant natural pigments, characteristic large eyes, red-yellow-green dominance with blue accents, ornamental borders like temple wall panels.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional domestic tableau framed by lotus and creeper borders; a small Śrī Viṣṇu icon at center with garlands, tulasī leaves motif; peacocks and floral patterns in the margins; deep indigo background with gold detailing, emphasizing the path to Vaikuṇṭha through sevā."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["temple bells","soft conch shell","evening silence","oil lamp crackle"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: śrībhagavānuvāca = śrī-bhagavān + uvāca; pakṣārdhaṃ = pakṣa-ardham; pitrorbhaktiḥ = pitroḥ + bhaktiḥ; gacchenmamālayaṃ = gacchet + mama + ālayam.
FAQs
It teaches that sincere devotion and service to one’s parents—even for a short period—has great spiritual merit and can lead to liberation, described here as attaining the Lord’s abode.
It frames parental service (pitṛ-bhakti) as a powerful devotional act, implying that everyday ethical duties, when done with devotion, become a direct means toward the Lord.
The verse elevates gratitude, care, and responsibility toward one’s mother and father as a core dharmic virtue, presenting it as spiritually transformative rather than merely social duty.