Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 10
Vasiṣṭha on Saṃsāra, Guṇas, and Misattributed Agency
Mahābhārata 12.292
स्वाध्यायेन महर्षिभ्यो देवेभ्यो यज्ञकर्मणा । पितृभ्य: श्राद्धदानेन नृणामभ्यर्चनेन च
svādhyāyena maharṣibhyo devebhyo yajñakarmaṇā | pitṛbhyaḥ śrāddhadānena nṛṇām abhyarcaneṇa ca ||
帕罗娑罗说道：以诵读与研习《吠陀》（svādhyāya），便能偿还对大圣仙的债；以祭祀之业（yajña），便能回报诸天；以施行施罗陀祭（śrāddha）并行布施，便能使祖灵满足；而以敬待并服务众人——尤其是宾客——便能解除对人世的债。故人生当以自律为本，将这些根本义务一一偿还而行。
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human life carries foundational obligations: to sages (through Vedic study), to gods (through yajña and sacred rites), to ancestors (through śrāddha and giving), and to fellow humans/guests (through honor, hospitality, and service). Fulfilling these is presented as a practical framework of dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, the sage Parāśara enumerates the means by which one becomes free of the major ‘debts’ (ṛṇas) that bind a householder—linking learning, ritual, ancestral rites, charity, and hospitality into a single ethical program.