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 |
毗耶娑教示：居家之人唯在先尽礼敬与供奉之后，方堪受食——先敬诸天，次敬仙圣（ṛṣi），再敬人间宾客，复敬祖灵（pitṛ），并敬家宅之神。其旨在明言：私享当居于公共与神圣义务之后；受用饮食应是一种有戒有度的行持，根植于感恩、待客之道，以及对维系生命之秩序的敬畏。
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.