Shloka 21

Gārhasthya-dharma: Vāsudeva–Pṛthivī-saṃvāda

Householder Duties and Daily Offerings

Devanagari script

गृहस्थ: पुरुष: कृष्ण शिष्टाशी च सदा भवेत्‌ | राजर्त्विजं स्नातकं च गुरु श्वशुरमेव च

Transliteration

gṛhasthaḥ puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇa śiṣṭāśī ca sadā bhavet | rājartvijaṃ snātakaṃ ca guruṃ śvaśuram eva ca

Translation

风神曰：“噢，克里希那（Kṛṣṇa）啊，行居家之道的男子，当常以节制而正当之法进食；并当对国王、王家祭司（ṛtvij）、已成礼毕业之学者（snātaka）、其师与岳父，尽其应有的敬礼与谦恭。”

Word by Word

• गृहस्थः: a householder
• गृहस्थः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृहस्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पुरुषः: a man
• पुरुषः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कृष्ण: O Krishna
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• शिष्टाशी: one who eats what remains (after offering/after others), temperate in eating
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिष्टाशी
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

• भवेत्: should be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• राज-ऋत्विजम्: the king's officiating priest
• राज-ऋत्विजम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजऋत्विज
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• स्नातकम्: a graduate (one who has completed Vedic study)
• स्नातकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नातक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• गुरुम्: the teacher
• गुरुम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• श्वशुरम्: the father-in-law
• श्वशुरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वशुर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu (Vāyudeva)
• Kṛṣṇa
• king (rāja)
• ṛtvij (royal/officiating priest)
• snātaka
• guru (teacher)
• śvaśura (father-in-law)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches gṛhastha-dharma: a householder should maintain disciplined, proper conduct—symbolized by regulated eating—and uphold social and moral order by honoring key figures of authority and learning: the king, officiating priest, snātaka, guru, and father-in-law.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu is instructing Kṛṣṇa on norms of righteous household life, listing whom a householder should respect and how one should live with restraint and propriety in daily habits.