गृहस्थकर्त्तव्यानिThe duties of the householder
Verse 50
यद्येवं नाचरेद्देवि गृहस्थो विभवे सति । पशुरेव स विज्ञेयः स पापी लोकगर्हितः ॥ ५० ॥
yadyēvaṁ nācarēddēvi gṛhasthō vibhavē sati | paśurēva sa vijñēyaḥ sa pāpī lōkagarhitaḥ || 50 ||
Translation
If a householder does not act so, Devī, when he has the means, he is to be known as a beast; he is a sinner, despised by the world.
Word by word
- yadi
- (yadi) if
- ēvaṁ
- so
- na
- not
- ācarēd
- (ācaret) does act
- dēvi
- O Devī
- gṛhasthō
- (gṛhasthaḥ) a householder
- vibhavē
- the means
- sati
- when he has
- paśur
- (paśuḥ) a beast
- ēva
- indeed
- sa
- (saḥ) he
- vijñēyaḥ
- is to be known
- pāpī
- a sinner
- lōka
- by the world
- garhitaḥ
- despised
Meaning
The commentary makes the condition explicit: having wealth. A man of means who keeps it from those he should support is called "paśu", a beast. The word also has a technical sense in the Tantras: the paśu is the bound soul, the lowest of the three dispositions (paśu, vīra, divya). Selfishness is the mark of bondage.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
That a householder who, having wealth, does not act so becomes the seat of sin and despised by people, he says beginning "yadi…".