Shloka 13

Pātra-Nirṇaya and Ritual Procedure: Who to Feed, Who to Avoid, and Step-by-Step Śrāddha Performance

Devanagari script

पादशौचादिना गेहम् आगतान् पूजयेद् द्विजान्

Transliteration

pādaśaucādinā geham āgatān pūjayed dvijān

Translation

گھر آئے ہوئے دوِج مہمانوں کی پاؤں دھونے وغیرہ کی مہمان نوازی سے تعظیم کرنی چاہیے۔

Word by Word

• pādaśaucādinā: by (offering) foot-washing and the like
• pādaśaucādinā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pādaśauca + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचनम्; ‘pāda-śauca’ (पादयोः शौचम्) इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः, तस्य ‘आदि’ सहितः; करणवाचकः (by foot-washing etc.)

• geham: house
• geham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: geha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम्

• āgatān: who have come
• āgatān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√gam (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः; पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• pūjayet: should honor / worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• dvijān: Brahmins
• dvijān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

• Dvija (the twice-born)

FAQs

What is the significance of welcoming guests in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse treats hospitality as gṛhastha-dharma: honouring arriving dvijas—beginning with foot-washing—upholds social and ritual order, reflecting dharma as a pillar of the world’s stability.

How does Sage Parāśara explain proper householder conduct here?

Parāśara frames the home as a place where dharma is enacted through concrete rites—respectful reception, purification, and honour—so daily conduct becomes a disciplined offering aligned with sacred law.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named, the ethic serves a Vaishnava vision of cosmic governance: dharma in the household mirrors the Supreme Order sustained by Vishnu, turning social duty into devotion through reverent action.