गृहस्थकर्त्तव्यानिThe duties of the householder
Verse 21
श्रीदेव्युवाच । को वा धर्मो गृहस्थस्य भिक्षुकस्य च किं विभो । विप्रस्य विप्रभिन्नानां संस्कारादीनि मे वद ॥ २१ ॥
śrīdēvyuvāca | kō vā dharmō gṛhasthasya bhikṣukasya ca kiṁ vibhō | viprasya viprabhinnānāṁ saṁskārādīni mē vada || 21 ||
Translation
The Goddess said: What is the dharma of the householder, and what of the mendicant, Lord? Tell me the sacraments and the rest of the brāhmaṇa and of those who are not brāhmaṇas.
Word by word
- kō
- (kaḥ) what
- vā
- or
- dharmō
- (dharmaḥ) the dharma
- gṛhasthasya
- of the householder
- bhikṣukasya
- of the mendicant
- ca
- and
- kiṁ
- what
- vibhō
- O Lord
- viprasya
- of the brāhmaṇa
- vipra
- brāhmaṇas
- bhinnānāṁ
- of those other than
- saṁskāra
- the sacraments
- ādīni
- and the rest
- mē
- me
- vada
- tell
Meaning
Having heard the outline (five classes, two stages, one Śaiva path), Pārvatī now asks, the commentary says, for the particular duties in full. Her question has two parts, which order the rest of the chapter: the dharma of each stage (householder, renunciant), and the rites and duties of each class.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
Having heard of the five varṇas beginning with the brāhmaṇa, their two āśramas and their common dharma, and now wishing to hear their particular duties in full, Śrī Devī spoke, beginning "ko vā…". Kim: what is the dharma.