संत साहित्य · Guru Charitra · Chapters
Chapter 37 — Dharma of a Brahmin
Literal. Continues the procedural specification: house-customs (clean prayer room, rangoli designs, wooden/stone idols, Pranayama, worship of Vishnu with Tulsi, Shiva with Bel-pathra, Ganapathi with Durva), feeding guests (touchable or untouchable), eating (lotus or banana leaf, bronze plates, no lead/copper, sweets first, no rice first, no leftovers, etc.). Followed by a metacommentary: one should not sleep on cremation grounds, in dilapidated temples, on riverbanks, near anthills, or at crossroads. Closes with: whoever listens to this Charitra will gain great knowledge.
Symbolic. Dharma as fully-articulated daily protocol with named place-types to avoid. The closure ("whoever listens to this Charitra") is the chapter's first metacommentary on the book itself as a transmissive object.
Verse by verse
श्रीगणेशाय नमः ।
śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ |
Salutations to Śrī Gaṇeśa.
The chapter opens, as every section does, with an invocation to Gaṇeśa, the remover of obstacles, before the teaching on daily brahminical conduct begins.
Begin any important undertaking with a moment of reverence, so obstacles are met with a settled mind.
नामधारक विनवी सिद्धासी । पुढे कथा वर्तली कैसी । श्रीगुरु सांगती विस्तारेसी । काय निरूपिले यानंतर ॥१॥
nāmadhāraka vinavī siddhāsī | puḍhe kathā vartalī kaisī | śrīguru sāmgatī vistāresī | kāya nirūpile yānamtara ||1||
Nāmadhāraka entreats Siddha: what story unfolded next? Tell it at length — what did Śrī Guru expound thereafter?
The seeker again asks for the next teaching to continue — this recurring request frames the whole text as a living dialogue between listener and teller.
Keep asking, with humility, for the next piece of guidance rather than assuming you already know enough.
ऐक नामधारका सगुणा । श्रीगुरु अवतार नारायणा । जाणे सर्व आचारखुणा । सांगतसे कृपेसी ॥२॥
aika nāmadhārakā saguṇā | śrīguru avatāra nārāyaṇā | jāṇe sarva ācārakhuṇā | sāmgatase kṛpesī ||2||
Listen, virtuous Nāmadhāraka: Śrī Guru, the avatar of Nārāyaṇa, knows every mark of right conduct, and out of grace he now tells it.
The narrator reminds the listener that what follows — the code of a brahmin's daily conduct — comes from a divine source, not mere custom; ācāra (right conduct) is grace put into practice.
Treat guidance on how to live rightly as a gift, not a burden, and receive it with attention.
त्रैमूर्तीच्या अवतारास । आचार सांगता काय प्रयास । ज्ञान देउनी पतितास । वेद म्हणविले कवणेपरी ॥३॥
traimūrtīcyā avatārāsa | ācāra sāmgatā kāya prayāsa | jñāna deunī patitāsa | veda mhaṇavile kavaṇeparī ||3||
For the avatar of the three gods, teaching right conduct is no great labor; by giving this knowledge even to the fallen, how could the Vedas' word be called idle?
The verse affirms that the Guru's teaching restores the Vedic path even to those considered unworthy — patita (the fallen) — showing that no one is beyond the reach of true knowledge.
Never assume someone is beyond learning or correction; offer guidance generously.
ऐसे गुरुमूर्ति दातारु । भक्तजनकल्पतरु । सांगते झाले आचारु । कृपा करोनि विप्रासी ॥४॥
aise gurumūrti dātāru | bhaktajanakalpataru | sāmgate jhāle ācāru | kṛpā karoni viprāsī ||4||
Thus the Guru, the giver, the wish-fulfilling tree for his devotees, began to speak of proper conduct, showing grace to the brahmin.
The Guru is likened to a kalpataru (wish-granting tree) — a giver who fulfills every need of the devotee, here fulfilling the need for right living.
Approach a trustworthy teacher expecting real generosity, not mere formality.
श्रीगुरु म्हणती ब्राह्मणासी । गृहरक्षणार्थ कारणासी अग्निमंथनकाष्ठासी । संपादावे कृष्णामार्जार ॥५॥
śrīguru mhaṇatī brāhmaṇāsī | gṛharakṣaṇārtha kāraṇāsī agnimamthanakāṣṭhāsī | sampādāve kṛṣṇāmārjāra ||5||
Śrī Guru says to the brahmin: for the protection of the household one should obtain the fire-kindling wood and the requisite items of purity.
The teaching turns practical: a well-run household begins with keeping the sacred fire ready and its proper implements on hand — agnihotra (fire-rite) discipline starts with preparation.
Keep the tools of your daily disciplines ready in advance, so devotion is never delayed by disorder.
श्रीखंडादि मणिघृते । तिळ कृष्णाजिन छागवस्त्रे । इतुकी असावी पवित्रे । दुरिते बाधा करू न शकती ॥६॥
śrīkhamḍādi maṇighṛte | tiḷa kṛṣṇājina chāgavastre | itukī asāvī pavitre | durite bādhā karū na śakatī ||6||
Sandalwood and the like, ghee in a fine vessel, sesame, black-deerskin, and goat-hide cloth — these should be kept pure, so that misfortune cannot touch one.
A short inventory of ritual purity-items shows that outer cleanliness of one's tools was believed to guard against durita (misfortune, moral taint) — order in small things protects the whole life.
Keep the instruments of your daily practice clean and set aside, treating tidiness itself as a form of protection.
शुक्लपक्ष सारसासी । पोसावे घरी परियेसी । समस्तपापविनाशी । धेनु असावी आपुले घरी ॥७॥
śuklapakṣa sārasāsī | posāve gharī pariyesī | samastapāpavināśī | dhenu asāvī āpule gharī ||7||
During the bright fortnight one should keep a sārasa bird fed at home; and a cow, destroyer of every sin, should be kept in one's own house.
Even the animals sheltered in a household are given ritual significance — the cow especially is honored as samastapāpavināśī, a destroyer of all sin, by her mere presence.
Extend your care and provision to the animals in your household as part of your daily practice, not as an afterthought.
देवपूजेचे विधान । सांगेन ऐका एक मन । गृह बरवे संमार्जन । देवगुह असावे ॥८॥
devapūjece vidhāna | sāmgena aikā eka mana | gṛha barave sammārjana | devaguha asāve ||8||
I will tell the rule for worshipping God; listen with a single mind. The house should be well swept, and there should be a room set apart for the deity.
Before ritual comes cleanliness — a dedicated, swept space, devagṛha (god's chamber), is the first requirement for worship to be real rather than nominal.
Set aside one clean, ordered corner of your home or day for whatever you hold sacred.
हिरण्य रौप्य ताम्रेसी । अथवा मृत्तिका पात्रेसी । संमार्जन करावे विधींसी । निषिद्ध पात्रे सांगेन ॥९॥
hiraṇya raupya tāmresī | athavā mṛttikā pātresī | sammārjana karāve vidhīmsī | niṣiddha pātre sāmgena ||9||
With vessels of gold, silver, or copper, or of clay, one should do the ritual cleansing according to rule; I will tell you which vessels are forbidden.
Even the material of a simple vessel is given a rule — the text teaches that the smallest instrument of worship is not left to whim but shaped by discipline.
Choose your tools for daily practice deliberately, not carelessly.
कास्यपात्री कन्यकाहस्ती । नोवरी अथवा शूद्र जाती । न करावे वस्त्र धरोनि वामहस्ती । दक्षिण हस्ती सारवावे ॥१०॥
kāsyapātrī kanyakāhastī | novarī athavā śūdra jātī | na karāve vastra dharoni vāmahastī | dakṣiṇa hastī sāravāve ||10||
A bronze vessel touched by a maiden's hand, a new bride, or a shudra should not be used [carelessly]; one should not hold the cloth in the left hand — the cleansing should be done with the right hand.
Rules here reflect the caste and gender restrictions of the old social order around ritual purity; the text preserves them as period custom even as its deeper aim is disciplined, careful worship.
In whatever you do with care, use your most attentive hand and manner — give sacred tasks your full competence, not an afterthought.
प्रारंभ करावा नैऋत्यकोनी । रात्री न करावे उदक घेउनी । अगत्य करणे घडे मनी । भस्मे करोनि सारवावे ॥११॥
prārambha karāvā naiṛtyakonī | rātrī na karāve udaka gheunī | agatya karaṇe ghaḍe manī | bhasme karoni sāravāve ||11||
Begin in the southwest corner; do not do this cleansing with water at night; it should be done with deliberate attention, and smeared with sacred ash.
Direction, time, and material are all specified — the text treats even housekeeping as an extension of worship, to be done with the same deliberateness as prayer.
Do your daily chores at fixed times and with attention, as though they too were an offering.
रंगमाळिका घालोनि निर्मळ । असावे देवताभुवनी । मग बैसोनि शुभासनी । देवपूजा करावी ॥१२॥
ramgamāḷikā ghāloni nirmaḷa | asāve devatābhuvanī | maga baisoni śubhāsanī | devapūjā karāvī ||12||
After drawing a pure decorative pattern, one should be in the shrine room; then, seated on an auspicious seat, worship should be performed.
Beauty and order — the raṅgamāḷikā (decorative floor-pattern) — prepare the space and the worshipper's mind before the rite itself begins.
Make the setting for something sacred beautiful and unhurried before you begin it.
जैसी संध्या ब्राह्मणासी । देवपूजा करावी तैसी । त्रिकाल करावे अर्चनासी । एकचित्ते मनोभावे ॥१३॥
jaisī samdhyā brāhmaṇāsī | devapūjā karāvī taisī | trikāla karāve arcanāsī | ekacitte manobhāve ||13||
As the twilight prayer is for a brahmin, so should the worship of God be; it should be done three times a day, with a single-pointed mind and heartfelt devotion.
Worship is asked to become a rhythm of the day — morning, noon, evening — not a one-time event; ekacitta (one-pointed mind) is the real offering, more than the ritual itself.
Build small moments of undivided attention into your morning, midday, and evening, rather than saving devotion for one big occasion.
त्रिकाळी न घडे ज्यासी । प्रातःकाळी करावी हर्षी । तेही न साधे परियेसी । माध्याह्नकाळी करावे ॥१४॥
trikāḷī na ghaḍe jyāsī | prātaḥkāḷī karāvī harṣī | tehī na sādhe pariyesī | mādhyāhnakāḷī karāve ||14||
For one who cannot manage it three times, let it be done joyfully in the morning; if even that cannot be arranged, let it be done at midday.
The text builds in graceful fallback — the ideal is three daily observances, but a sincere single observance still counts; devotion accommodates real limitation.
If you cannot keep the ideal version of a discipline, keep the smaller version rather than none at all.
सायंकाळी मंत्रेसी । पुष्पे वाहोनि भक्तीसी । ऐसे न साधे जयासी । भोजनकाळी करावे ॥१५॥
sāyamkāḷī mamtresī | puṣpe vāhoni bhaktīsī | aise na sādhe jayāsī | bhojanakāḷī karāve ||15||
In the evening, with mantras, flowers should be offered with devotion; for one who cannot manage even this, let it be done at mealtime.
The concession continues down to the simplest possible practice — even pausing at a meal to remember God counts as worship, showing intention matters more than form.
Turn an ordinary daily act, like a meal, into a moment of gratitude when a formal practice isn't possible.
देवपूजा न करी नर । पावे त्वरित यमपुर । नरक भोगी निरंतर । ऐक ब्राह्मणा एकचित्ते ॥१६॥
devapūjā na karī nara | pāve tvarita yamapura | naraka bhogī niramtara | aika brāhmaṇā ekacitte ||16||
A man who does not worship God swiftly reaches the city of Yama and suffers in hell without end; listen, brahmin, with a single mind.
A stern warning follows the gentle concessions — Yamapura (the realm of the god of death) stands for the natural consequence of a life lived with no remembrance of the sacred at all.
However small, do not let a day pass with zero acknowledgment of what you hold sacred.
विप्रकुळी जन्म जयासी । पूजा न करिता जेवी हर्षी । तोचि होय यमग्रासी । वैश्वदेव न करी नर ॥१७॥
viprakuḷī janma jayāsī | pūjā na karitā jevī harṣī | toci hoya yamagrāsī | vaiśvadeva na karī nara ||17||
One born into a brahmin family who eats joyfully without worshipping becomes Yama's own morsel; a man who performs no vaiśvadeva (the daily offering to all beings before a meal) is such a man.
Eating without any offering of gratitude is treated as a kind of theft from the universe — vaiśvadeva is the ritual acknowledgment that one's food is a gift, not an entitlement.
Pause before eating to silently give thanks, rather than consuming your meal on autopilot.
देवपूजा करावयासी । सहा प्रकार परियेसी । उदकनारायण विशेषी । पूजिता तृप्ति जगन्नाथा ॥१८॥
devapūjā karāvayāsī | sahā prakāra pariyesī | udakanārāyaṇa viśeṣī | pūjitā tṛpti jagannāthā ||18||
For the worship of God there are six methods, listen: chief among them is the worship of Udakanārāyaṇa (Nārāyaṇa present in water), by worshipping which the Lord of the universe is satisfied.
The text now systematizes worship into six approaches, beginning with the simplest — recognizing the divine in water itself, showing that the sacred need not require elaborate objects.
Notice the sacred in ordinary elements around you — even something as plain as water — rather than only in special objects.
दुसरा प्रकार सांगेन ऐका । अग्निदेवपूजा अधिका । मानसपूजा अतिविशेखा । एकचित्ते परियेसा ॥१९॥
dusarā prakāra sāmgena aikā | agnidevapūjā adhikā | mānasapūjā ativiśekhā | ekacitte pariyesā ||19||
I will tell the second method, listen: worship of the fire-god is greater still; mental worship is the most special of all; listen with a single mind.
The hierarchy climbs toward the subtlest form — mānasapūjā (worship performed entirely in the mind) needs no external object at all, showing that inner devotion outranks outer ritual.
Practice holding a moment of pure inner reverence, without needing any physical prop, at least once a day.
सूर्यपूजा करिता जाण । संतुष्ट होय नारायण । सामान्यपक्षे स्थंडिली जाण । प्रतिमापूजा स्वल्पबुद्धि ॥२०॥
sūryapūjā karitā jāṇa | samtuṣṭa hoya nārāyaṇa | sāmānyapakṣe sthamḍilī jāṇa | pratimāpūjā svalpabuddhi ||20||
Worshipping the sun, know, satisfies Nārāyaṇa; for ordinary people an earthen altar suffices, and image-worship is for those of lesser capacity.
The hierarchy of six forms of worship is graded by subtlety, ending here with the most accessible — an image — reassuring the ordinary devotee that a simple form still reaches the same divine.
Do not feel your simple, humble practice is less valid than an elaborate one — sincerity carries it.
ज्ञाता असेल बुद्धिमंत । यज्ञपुरुषपूजा त्वरित । स्वर्गापवर्गा पूजा देत । यज्ञपुरुषपूजा मुख्य जाण ॥२१॥
jñātā asela buddhimamta | yajñapuruṣapūjā tvarita | svargāpavargā pūjā deta | yajñapuruṣapūjā mukhya jāṇa ||21||
A wise and intelligent person swiftly performs worship of the Yajñapuruṣa (sacrifice personified); it grants both heaven and liberation — know that this worship is foremost.
Here the highest of the six methods is named: seeing sacrifice itself as the deity being worshipped — an insight that ritual action and the divine are ultimately one and the same.
Let your disciplined actions themselves become your offering, rather than treating action and devotion as separate.
अथवा पूजावे धेनूसी । ब्राह्मणपूजा विशेषी । गुरुपूजा मनोभावेसी । प्रत्यक्ष तुष्टे गुरुमूर्ति ॥२२॥
athavā pūjāve dhenūsī | brāhmaṇapūjā viśeṣī | gurupūjā manobhāvesī | pratyakṣa tuṣṭe gurumūrti ||22||
Or one may worship the cow, and especially the brahmin; worship of the Guru with a wholehearted mind truly pleases the Guru's own form.
The list widens the object of worship beyond images to living beings — cow, brahmin, and above all the Guru — teaching that devotion is best directed at a living, present teacher.
Direct some of your reverence toward the living people who guide and sustain you, not only toward abstract ideals.
गुरु त्रैमूर्ति म्हणोनि । बोलती समस्त श्रुतिवचनी । सकळाभीष्टे तयापासूनी । पाविजे चारी पुरुषार्थ ॥२३॥
guru traimūrti mhaṇoni | bolatī samasta śrutivacanī | sakaḷābhīṣṭe tayāpāsūnī | pāvije cārī puruṣārtha ||23||
The Guru is said to be the three-formed one (Trimūrti) — so declare all the Vedic sayings; from him one obtains every desired thing, the four goals of human life.
The puruṣārtha (the four aims — dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa) are said to flow from the Guru because he embodies creation, preservation, and dissolution together — the entire cosmic function focused in one teacher.
Trust that a genuine mentor can address every dimension of your life, not just one narrow skill.
कलिप्रवेश होता नरू । न करिता अंतःकरण स्थिरू । उत्पत्ति केली शाङर्गधरू । समस्त कलि उद्धारावया ॥२४॥
kalipraveśa hotā narū | na karitā amtaḥkaraṇa sthirū | utpatti kelī śāṅargadharū | samasta kali uddhārāvayā ||24||
When the Kali age arrived, since men could not steady their hearts, the Bow-bearer took birth, to uplift everyone amid Kali.
The narrative pivots to explain why avatars occur — Kali (the current degraded age) undermines people's inner steadiness, so grace descends in embodied form to rescue them.
In a chaotic or distracting time, actively seek out sources of steadiness rather than waiting for calm to arrive on its own.
शालिग्रामचक्रांकितेसी । प्रकाश केला ह्रषीकेशी । तीर्थ घेता परियेसी । समस्त पापे नासती ॥२५॥
śāligrāmacakrāmkitesī | prakāśa kelā hraṣīkeśī | tīrtha ghetā pariyesī | samasta pāpe nāsatī ||25||
In the Śāligrāma stone marked with the discus, Hṛṣīkeśa revealed his light; by taking its sacred water-offering, all sins are destroyed.
The śāligrāma (a sacred ammonite stone) is honored as a natural embodiment of Viṣṇu — the story teaches that the divine can inhabit even a plain stone when approached with faith.
Trust that even a simple, unassuming object of devotion can carry real power when your faith is sincere.
आज्ञा घेऊनि श्रीगुरूची । पूजा करावी प्रतिमेची । वेदोक्त मंत्र करोनी वाची । विधिपूर्वक पूजावे ॥२६॥
ājñā gheūni śrīgurūcī | pūjā karāvī pratimecī | vedokta mamtra karonī vācī | vidhipūrvaka pūjāve ||26||
Having taken the permission of Śrī Guru, worship of the sacred image should be performed; reciting the Vedic mantras, one should worship according to the proper rule.
Even ritual authority needs a teacher's sanction — worship is not self-authorized but received, echoing the text's recurring theme that the Guru is the gateway to all practice.
Seek a mentor's blessing or guidance before undertaking a new spiritual discipline on your own.
स्त्रीजनादि शूद्रांसी । न म्हणावे वेदमंत्रेसी । आगमोक्तमार्गैसी गुरुनिरोपे करावे ॥२७॥
strījanādi śūdrāmsī | na mhaṇāve vedamamtresī | āgamoktamārgaisī gurunirope karāve ||27||
Women and shudras should not be taught with Vedic mantras; worship for them should follow the path laid out in the Āgamas, by the Guru's instruction.
This reflects the text's historical caste and gender restrictions on Vedic recitation, while still affirming that everyone has an authorized path — the Āgama tradition — to approach the divine under a teacher's guidance.
Recognize that not everyone's path to practice looks identical, and honor whatever legitimate form fits a person's circumstance.
श्रीगुरूचे निरोपाने । पूजिजे काष्ठे पाषाणे । तेचि होती देव जाणे । होती प्रसन्न परियेसा ॥२८॥
śrīgurūce niropāne | pūjije kāṣṭhe pāṣāṇe | teci hotī deva jāṇe | hotī prasanna pariyesā ||28||
By Śrī Guru's instruction, one may worship even wood and stone; those very things become deities, know this, and become truly pleased.
The teaching insists that divine presence is invoked by faith and sanction, not by the intrinsic material of the object — even wood or stone, blessed by a Guru's word, becomes a living deity.
Do not judge a symbol of devotion by how humble its material is; what matters is the sincerity behind it.
शुचि आसनी बैसोनी । करावे प्राणायाम तिन्ही । येभ्योमाता म्हणोनि । चेतन करावा परमात्मा ॥२९॥
śuci āsanī baisonī | karāve prāṇāyāma tinhī | yebhyomātā mhaṇoni | cetana karāvā paramātmā ||29||
Sitting on a pure seat, one should perform the three prāṇāyāmas (breath-disciplines); reciting the mantra, one should awaken the Supreme Self within.
Worship begins inward — steadying the breath before touching any external object — showing that prāṇāyāma (breath control) is the doorway that makes the mind fit for invoking the divine.
Before starting an important task, take a few deliberate, steadying breaths to settle your mind first.
प्रणव मंत्रोनि द्वादशी । उदक प्रोक्षावे आपुल्या शिरसी । संकल्प करोनि अंगन्यासी । कलशपूजा करावी ॥३०॥
praṇava mamtroni dvādaśī | udaka prokṣāve āpulyā śirasī | samkalpa karoni amganyāsī | kalaśapūjā karāvī ||30||
Chanting the twelve-syllable praṇava mantra, one should sprinkle water on one's own head; after making a resolve and touching the limbs in the prescribed rite, worship of the sacred vessel should be performed.
The saṅkalpa — a spoken intention — is the hinge of Indian ritual: nothing is undertaken without first naming, out loud, exactly what one intends to do and why.
State your intention clearly to yourself before beginning any meaningful task, rather than drifting into it.
देवाच्या दक्षिण भागेसी । कलश ठेवावा परियेसी । पूजा करोनि भक्तीसी । शंखपूजा करावी ॥३१॥
devācyā dakṣiṇa bhāgesī | kalaśa ṭhevāvā pariyesī | pūjā karoni bhaktīsī | śamkhapūjā karāvī ||31||
On the deity's south side, the sacred vessel should be placed; after worshipping it with devotion, the conch should be worshipped.
Every object in the small ritual space is given its own place and its own moment of worship, teaching an attention to order in which nothing is incidental.
Give each tool of your practice, however small, its proper place and a moment of respect.
निर्माल्य काढोनि विनयेसी । टाकावे ते नैऋत्यदिशी । धौत वस्त्र हांतरोनि हर्षी । दीप प्रज्वलित करावा ॥३२॥
nirmālya kāḍhoni vinayesī | ṭākāve te naiṛtyadiśī | dhauta vastra hāmtaroni harṣī | dīpa prajvalita karāvā ||32||
Having respectfully removed the previous day's withered flowers, one should discard them in the southwest direction; spreading a clean washed cloth joyfully, a lamp should be lit.
Removing the nirmālya (yesterday's offering) before making today's shows that devotion must be renewed daily — old offerings, however sacred once, must give way to fresh ones.
Let go of yesterday's efforts and begin today's practice fresh, rather than resting on what you already did.
स्मरावे मनी श्रीगुरूसी । मनोवाक्कायकर्मैसी । अर्चन करावे पीठासी । विधिपूर्वक अवधारा ॥३३॥
smarāve manī śrīgurūsī | manovākkāyakarmaisī | arcana karāve pīṭhāsī | vidhipūrvaka avadhārā ||33||
One should remember Śrī Guru in the mind, through thought, word, and deed; worship of the sacred seat should be performed according to rule, understand this well.
Manovākkāyakarma — mind, speech, body, and action aligned as one — is the classical formula for total sincerity, offered here even to something as small as the seat on which the deity rests.
Bring your thoughts, words, and actions into alignment when doing something you consider sacred, instead of letting your mind wander elsewhere.
चारी द्वारे पूजोनि । दिशा पूजाव्या अर्चुनी । शांताकार करा ध्यानी । मग आवाहनावे मंत्रोक्त ॥३४॥
cārī dvāre pūjoni | diśā pūjāvyā arcunī | śāmtākāra karā dhyānī | maga āvāhanāve mamtrokta ||34||
Having worshipped the four doors, the directions should also be worshipped; forming a peaceful image in meditation, one should then invoke the deity with the proper mantra.
The rite widens outward from the innermost object to the doors and the very directions of space — worship consecrating the whole surrounding world, not just a single image.
When you set apart something as sacred, let that reverence radiate outward to its surroundings, not stay confined to the object alone.
सहस्त्रशीर्षेति आवाहनोनि । पुरुषएवेदं आसनी । एतावानस्य म्हणोनि । पाद्य द्यावे अवधारा ॥३५॥
sahastraśīrṣeti āvāhanoni | puruṣaevedam āsanī | etāvānasya mhaṇoni | pādya dyāve avadhārā ||35||
Invoking with the verse beginning 'sahasraśīrṣā,' seating [the deity] with the appropriate verse, and reciting the next, water for the feet should then be offered.
These lines quote directly from the Puruṣa Sūkta (the Vedic hymn to the cosmic Person) — the household rite is shown as a miniature re-enactment of the Vedic hymn's own cosmology.
Recognize that even a small personal ritual can carry the weight of a much larger tradition behind it.
मंत्र म्हणोनि त्रिपादूर्ध्व ऐसा । अर्घ्य द्यावे परियेसा । तस्माद्विराड म्हणा ऐसा । देवासी आचमन समर्पावे ॥३६॥
mamtra mhaṇoni tripādūrdhva aisā | arghya dyāve pariyesā | tasmādvirāḍa mhaṇā aisā | devāsī ācamana samarpāve ||36||
Reciting the next mantra, the offering-water should be given; reciting the one following, sipping-water should be offered to the deity.
Each successive Puruṣa Sūkta verse supplies the mantra for the next small offering — a reminder that ancient scripture was meant to be lived phrase by phrase, not merely recited.
Let inherited wisdom guide your actions step by step, rather than only reading it in the abstract.
यत्पुरुषेण मंत्रेसी । स्नपन करा देवासी । दुग्धादि पंचामृतासी । स्नपनपूजा करावी ॥३७॥
yatpuruṣeṇa mamtresī | snapana karā devāsī | dugdhādi pamcāmṛtāsī | snapanapūjā karāvī ||37||
With the appropriate mantra, the deity should be bathed; with milk and the other four of the five nectars, the bathing rite should be performed.
Pañcāmṛta (the five nectars — milk, curd, ghee, honey, sugar) is a small feast offered as a bath, showing generosity expressed through the sweetest things one has.
Offer the best of what you have, not the leftover or convenient portion, when honoring someone or something you value.
पुरुषसूक्तादि रुद्रेसी । श्रुतिमार्गै करोनि न्यासासी । स्नपन करावे परियेसी । एकचित्ते अवधारा ॥३८॥
puruṣasūktādi rudresī | śrutimārgai karoni nyāsāsī | snapana karāve pariyesī | ekacitte avadhārā ||38||
With the Puruṣa Sūkta and the Rudra hymns, performing the limb-touching rite in the Vedic manner, the bathing should be done — listen with a single mind.
Two great Vedic hymns are woven together in one bathing-rite, showing how the tradition layers multiple scriptures into a single, unified act of devotion.
Draw on more than one source of wisdom when facing something important, rather than relying on only one.
स्नपन करूनि देवासी । बैसवावे शूभासनेसी । तयज्ञमिति मंत्रेसी । वस्त्रे द्यावी परियेसा ॥३९॥
snapana karūni devāsī | baisavāve śūbhāsanesī | tayajñamiti mamtresī | vastre dyāvī pariyesā ||39||
Having bathed the deity, it should be seated on an auspicious seat; with the proper mantra, garments should then be offered.
After the cleansing comes clothing — the sequence treats the deity as an honored guest received step by step, exactly as a beloved visitor would be received.
When welcoming someone important into your life or home, attend to their comfort in careful stages, not all at once.
तस्माद्यज्ञेति मंत्रेसी । यज्ञोपवीत द्यावे देवासी । येणेचि मंत्रे गंधाक्षतेसी । वहावे अनन्यभक्तीने ॥४०॥
tasmādyajñeti mamtresī | yajñopavīta dyāve devāsī | yeṇeci mamtre gamdhākṣatesī | vahāve ananyabhaktīne ||40||
With the appropriate mantra, the sacred thread should be offered to the deity; with this same mantra, sandal-paste and unbroken rice should be offered with undivided devotion.
Ananya bhakti (devotion with no other object) is named explicitly here — the text insists that the small physical gestures only matter if the mind behind them is undivided.
When you give something, give it your full, undivided attention rather than a distracted gesture.
तस्मादश्वा अजायन्त । ऐसा तुम्ही मंत्र म्हणत । पुष्पे वहावी एकचित्त । मनःपूर्वक देवासी ॥४१॥
tasmādaśvā ajāyanta | aisā tumhī mamtra mhaṇata | puṣpe vahāvī ekacitta | manaḥpūrvaka devāsī ||41||
With the mantra beginning 'tasmād aśvā ajāyanta,' flowers should be offered with a single mind, wholeheartedly, to the deity.
This continues the Puruṣa Sūkta sequence — even the offering of flowers is not casual but carried by scripture, teaching that beauty offered in devotion should be intentional.
Choose the small gifts you give with as much care and intention as the larger ones.
पुष्पे वहावयाचे विधान । सांगेन ऐका ऋषिजन । आपण पेरिली कुसुमे सगुण । उत्तम पक्ष परियेसा ॥४२॥
puṣpe vahāvayāce vidhāna | sāmgena aikā ṛṣijana | āpaṇa perilī kusume saguṇa | uttama pakṣa pariyesā ||42||
I will tell the method for offering flowers, listen O sages: flowers that you yourself have grown are the finest, the best kind — listen.
A quality-hierarchy for flowers begins here — effort invested by one's own hand is ranked above convenience, valuing the labor of love over mere acquisition.
When possible, offer something you made or grew yourself rather than something merely bought.
पुष्पे असती अरण्यात । ती मध्यम प्रकार बोलिजेत । क्रय करूनि घेता विकत । अधम पुष्पे जाणिजे ॥४३॥
puṣpe asatī araṇyāta | tī madhyama prakāra bolijeta | kraya karūni ghetā vikata | adhama puṣpe jāṇije ||43||
Flowers found growing wild in the forest are called the middling kind; flowers bought for a price, know, are the lowest kind.
The ranking continues to descend — grown, gathered, then bought — each step further from personal effort, reflecting a broader value that presence and labor outrank mere purchase.
Notice how much more meaningful a gift of your own effort feels than one simply bought off a shelf, and choose accordingly when it matters.
उत्तम न मिळता घ्यावी विकत । उत्तम पक्ष पुष्पे श्वेत । रक्त मध्यम अधम पीत । कृष्णचित्र अधमाधम ॥४४॥
uttama na miḷatā ghyāvī vikata | uttama pakṣa puṣpe śveta | rakta madhyama adhama pīta | kṛṣṇacitra adhamādhama ||44||
If the best flower is unavailable, one may buy it; among qualities, white flowers are best, red are middling, yellow are inferior, and dark or mottled ones are the very worst.
A concession follows the strict ideal at once — buying is allowed when nothing better is possible, a recurring pattern in the text of high standards softened by practical mercy.
Aim for the ideal, but allow yourself a fallback when circumstances genuinely require it.
वर्जावी शिळी पुष्पे देख । सच्छिद्र अथवा कृमिभक्षक । भूमीवरी पडे ऐक । पुष्प त्यजावे देवासी ॥४५॥
varjāvī śiḷī puṣpe dekha | sacchidra athavā kṛmibhakṣaka | bhūmīvarī paḍe aika | puṣpa tyajāve devāsī ||45||
Stale flowers should be avoided; those with holes or eaten by insects, or that have fallen to the ground, should never be offered to God.
Only what is fresh and whole is fit to offer — a reminder that what is given to the sacred, or to anyone honored, should be one's best, not one's discard.
Do not offer someone your leftovers, physically or figuratively; give what is genuinely fresh and whole.
शिळी नव्हेती द्रव्ये जाणा । बिल्वपत्रे तुळसी आणा । सहस्त्रपत्रे कमळे नाना । सदा ग्राह्य देवांसी ॥४६॥
śiḷī navhetī dravye jāṇā | bilvapatre tuḷasī āṇā | sahastrapatre kamaḷe nānā | sadā grāhya devāmsī ||46||
Certain things are never considered stale, know: bael leaves, tulsi — bring these; the many varieties of lotus are always acceptable to the gods.
Some offerings, like tulsī and bilva leaves, are exempt from the freshness rule because they are held to be inherently pure — certain things remain worthy regardless of age.
Recognize that some things — loyalty, honesty, an old friendship — remain valuable no matter how much time has passed.
शतपत्रे बकुलचंपकासी । पाटले कमले पुन्नागेसी । मल्लिका जाती करवीरेसी । कल्हारपुष्पे अर्पावी ॥४७॥
śatapatre bakulacampakāsī | pāṭale kamale punnāgesī | mallikā jātī karavīresī | kalhārapuṣpe arpāvī ||47||
Hundred-petaled lotus, bakula, campaka, patala, lotus, punnāga, jasmine varieties, oleander, and waterlily — these flowers should be offered.
A generous list of fragrant, beautiful flowers is given as fitting offerings, showing that devotion delights in variety and beauty, not austerity for its own sake.
Let devotion or gratitude express itself through beauty and variety, not just bare minimum duty.
विष्णुपूजा करावयासी । वर्जावी पुष्पे तुम्ही ऐसी । धत्तूर अर्क करवीरेसी । रक्त पुष्पे वर्जावी ॥४८॥
viṣṇupūjā karāvayāsī | varjāvī puṣpe tumhī aisī | dhattūra arka karavīresī | rakta puṣpe varjāvī ||48||
For the worship of Viṣṇu, these flowers should be avoided: dhattūra, arka, oleander — red flowers in general should be avoided.
The offering-rules become deity-specific — what pleases one form of the divine may not suit another, teaching sensitivity to who or what you are honoring.
Tailor your gestures of respect to the specific person or occasion, rather than using one generic approach for everyone.
गिरिकर्णिका निर्गुडेसी । सेवगा कपित्थ करंजेसी । अमलपत्र कुष्मांडेसी । पुष्पे विष्णूसी वर्जावी ॥४९॥
girikarṇikā nirguḍesī | sevagā kapittha karamjesī | amalapatra kuṣmāmḍesī | puṣpe viṣṇūsī varjāvī ||49||
Girikarṇikā, nirguḍī, the drumstick tree, kapittha, karañja, amla leaves, and gourd flowers — these flowers should be avoided for Viṣṇu.
The list of forbidden flowers continues in detail, underscoring how meticulously the old ritual manuals specified even botanical distinctions in devotion.
Take the trouble to learn the specific preferences of someone you wish to honor, rather than assuming generic gestures will do.
ही वाहिल्या होय दोषी । सांगेन ऐका समस्त ऋषि । पुजा करिती विष्णुसी । त्यजावी याचि कारणे ॥५०॥
hī vāhilyā hoya doṣī | sāmgena aikā samasta ṛṣi | pujā karitī viṣṇusī | tyajāvī yāci kāraṇe ||50||
Offering these brings fault; I will tell you more, listen all you sages — those who worship Viṣṇu should give up such flowers for this very reason.
The text pauses to justify its detailed prohibitions — not arbitrary rules, but meant to protect the worshipper from spiritual harm, however obscure the logic looks today.
Trust that inherited rules of respect often carry reasons even when they are not immediately obvious, and follow them thoughtfully.
अर्कपुष्प वाहिल्यासी । विनाश होय आपणासी । धत्तूरपुष्पे प्रज्ञानासी । कोविदारे दरिद्रता ॥५१॥
arkapuṣpa vāhilyāsī | vināśa hoya āpaṇāsī | dhattūrapuṣpe prajñānāsī | kovidāre daridratā ||51||
Offering arka flowers brings ruin upon oneself; dhattūra flowers destroy discernment; kovidāra flowers bring poverty.
Each forbidden flower is tied to a specific consequence — the text frames ritual missteps as having real moral and psychological effects, not just ceremonial ones.
Consider that careless or disrespectful actions can cost you clarity, prosperity, or peace of mind, even when the harm isn't obvious at first.
श्रीकर्णिकापुष्पे वाहता । कुळक्षय होय त्वरिता । कंटुकारीपुष्पे वाहता । शोक होय परियेसा ॥५२॥
śrīkarṇikāpuṣpe vāhatā | kuḷakṣaya hoya tvaritā | kamṭukārīpuṣpe vāhatā | śoka hoya pariyesā ||52||
Offering śrīkarṇikā flowers causes the swift decline of one's family; offering kaṇṭakārī flowers brings sorrow.
The consequences widen from the individual to the whole family, underscoring how the old worldview saw personal ritual conduct as tied to collective wellbeing.
Remember that your personal choices ripple outward and affect those closest to you, not just yourself.
कंदपुष्पे होय दुःख । शाल्मलीपुष्पे रोग ऐक । त्याची कारणे करूनि विवेक । पुष्पे वहावी विष्णूसी ॥५३॥
kamdapuṣpe hoya duḥkha | śālmalīpuṣpe roga aika | tyācī kāraṇe karūni viveka | puṣpe vahāvī viṣṇūsī ||53||
Bulb-flowers bring grief, śālmalī flowers bring disease — knowing these reasons, one should discern carefully before offering flowers to Viṣṇu.
Viveka (discrimination, careful discernment) is named explicitly as the tool needed to navigate all these rules — knowledge without discernment is not enough.
Pause to think through the likely effects of an action before you act, rather than proceeding on habit alone.
वर्जा पुष्पे ईश्वरासी । सांगेन नावे परियेसी । कपित्थ केतकी शशांकेसी । श्यामपुष्पे वर्जावी ॥५४॥
varjā puṣpe īśvarāsī | sāmgena nāve pariyesī | kapittha ketakī śaśāmkesī | śyāmapuṣpe varjāvī ||54||
Flowers forbidden for Śiva — I will tell their names, listen: kapittha, ketakī, and the moon-white ones; dark-colored flowers should be avoided.
Just as with Viṣṇu, Śiva too has his own set of preferred and forbidden offerings, reinforcing that devotion is meant to be personal and attentive, not generic.
Do not treat every relationship the same way; learn and respect what is distinct about each one.
काष्ठ पिंपळ करंज देखा । बकुल दाडिंब केतका । घातकी निंबादि पंचका । माधवीपुष्पे वर्जावी ॥५५॥
kāṣṭha pimpaḷa karamja dekhā | bakula dāḍimba ketakā | ghātakī nimbādi pamcakā | mādhavīpuṣpe varjāvī ||55||
The wood-apple tree, pīpal, karañja indeed; bakula, pomegranate, ketakī; ghātakī, neem and its group of five — mādhavī flowers should be avoided.
A further list of exclusions continues, this level of specificity showing the seriousness with which ritual botany was once treated as sacred science.
Take small details seriously when they are part of something you consider meaningful.
चूत कुंद यूथिका जाती । रक्त पुष्पे वर्जावी निरुती । ईश्वरार्चने दोष घडती । श्वेतपुष्पे मुख्य देखा ॥५६॥
cūta kumda yūthikā jātī | rakta puṣpe varjāvī nirutī | īśvarārcane doṣa ghaḍatī | śvetapuṣpe mukhya dekhā ||56||
Mango, kunda, jasmine varieties — red flowers should truly be avoided; faults arise in the worship of Śiva if used; white flowers, see, are chiefly proper.
The recurring preference for white across several deities suggests purity and simplicity were valued above showiness in the old ritual aesthetic.
When in doubt about how elaborate a gesture of respect should be, favor simplicity and purity over showiness.
पूजा करिता गणेशासी । वर्ज करा तुम्ही तुलसी । नित्यपूजा करा दूर्वैसी । दूर्वा वर्ज शक्तिदेवीते ॥५७॥
pūjā karitā gaṇeśāsī | varja karā tumhī tulasī | nityapūjā karā dūrvaisī | dūrvā varja śaktidevīte ||57||
In worshipping Gaṇeśa, you should avoid tulsī; do the daily worship with dūrvā grass instead; dūrvā should be avoided in worship of the Śakti-goddess.
Even humble grass, dūrvā, has its own place of honor with Gaṇeśa specifically — the pattern of deity-specific preference and exclusion continues to the very end of the botany.
Learn the specific likes of the people and traditions you honor rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.
येणे विधी पुष्पे वाहता । काम्य होय तुम्हा त्वरिता । चतुर्विध पुरुषार्था । लाधाल तुम्ही अवधारा ॥५८॥
yeṇe vidhī puṣpe vāhatā | kāmya hoya tumhā tvaritā | caturvidha puruṣārthā | lādhāla tumhī avadhārā ||58||
Offering flowers in this manner, you will quickly attain your desires; you will obtain the four goals of human life — listen and understand.
The detailed botanical rules close with their promised reward — the puruṣārtha (dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa) again, showing that even the smallest correct practice is said to open the door to the whole of a good life.
Trust that mastering the small, careful details of a discipline eventually opens larger rewards.
यत्पुरुषेति मंत्रेसी । सुगंध धूपादि परिमळेसी । ब्राह्मणोस्येति मंत्रेसी । एकार्तिक्य करावे ॥५९॥
yatpuruṣeti mamtresī | sugamdha dhūpādi parimaḷesī | brāhmaṇosyeti mamtresī | ekārtikya karāve ||59||
With the appropriate mantra, fragrant incense and other perfumes should be offered; with another mantra, the single-wick lamp-offering should be performed.
The senses are engaged one after another in worship — sight through flowers, smell through incense, now light through the lamp — a full sensory offering of devotion.
Engage more than one sense — sight, smell, touch — when creating a meaningful ritual or moment in your life.
चंद्रमामनसो इति मंत्रेसी । नैवेद्य अर्पावा देवासी । तांबूल अर्पिता म्हणा मंत्रासी । नाभ्याआसीदिति ऐसा ॥६०॥
camdramāmanaso iti mamtresī | naivedya arpāvā devāsī | tāmbūla arpitā mhaṇā mamtrāsī | nābhyāāsīditi aisā ||60||
With the appropriate mantra, the food-offering should be given to the deity; when offering betel-leaf, one should recite the corresponding mantra.
Food and betel-leaf are the culminating gifts of hospitality — the deity is treated exactly as an honored human guest would be, fed and refreshed after the earlier offerings.
When you honor someone, remember to offer not just symbols but real nourishment and comfort too.
सुवर्णपुष्पे नीरांजन । सप्तास्येति मंत्रे करून । पुष्पांजलि घेऊन । देवा यज्ञेति मंत्रे अर्पावी ॥६१॥
suvarṇapuṣpe nīrāmjana | saptāsyeti mamtre karūna | puṣpāmjali gheūna | devā yajñeti mamtre arpāvī ||61||
Golden flowers and the waving of lamps should be done with the appropriate mantra; taking a handful of flowers, it should be offered to the deity with the mantra of offering.
The rite is drawing toward its climax with the grandest gestures — golden flowers and a full handful offered together — the largest gift saved for near the end.
Build up to your most generous gesture near the culmination of an important occasion, rather than front-loading everything at once.
धातापुरस्तात् मंत्रेसी । नमस्कारावे देवासी । अति संमुख पृष्ठदेशी । गर्भगृही करू नये ॥६२॥
dhātāpurastāt mamtresī | namaskārāve devāsī | ati sammukha pṛṣṭhadeśī | garbhagṛhī karū naye ||62||
With the appropriate mantra, one should bow to the deity, directly facing it — this should not be done from behind, nor inside the innermost sanctum.
Even the posture and position of one's bow is regulated — facing the deity directly is treated as basic respect, the same courtesy one would show a person of honor.
Face someone directly and attentively when you show them respect, rather than addressing them sideways or from a distance.
नमस्काराचे विधान । सांगेन ऐका विद्वज्जन । सव्य देवप्रदक्षिणा । करूनि नमन करावे ॥६३॥
namaskārāce vidhāna | sāmgena aikā vidvajjana | savya devapradakṣiṇā | karūni namana karāve ||63||
I will tell the method of prostration, listen O learned ones: after circumambulating the deity clockwise, one should then bow.
Pradakṣiṇā (clockwise circumambulation) before the final bow reflects the idea of orienting oneself fully around what one honors before the final gesture of surrender.
Take the time to fully understand and appreciate something from every angle before you commit yourself to it.
आपुला गुरु माता पिता । संमुख जावे बाहेरूनि येता । अथवा उत्तम द्विज देखता । संमुख जावोनि वंदावे ॥६४॥
āpulā guru mātā pitā | sammukha jāve bāherūni yetā | athavā uttama dvija dekhatā | sammukha jāvoni vamdāve ||64||
One should go forward to meet one's own Guru, mother, or father when they arrive from outside; or, seeing an eminent brahmin, one should go forward and offer respect.
Respect here is active, not passive — you go toward the honored person rather than waiting for them to come to you, a small but telling gesture of eagerness to honor.
Go out of your way to greet people you respect, rather than waiting for them to approach you first.
सभा असेल द्विजांची । नमस्कार करा तुम्ही एकची । देवार्चनी तैसेची । नमस्कार पावे समस्ता ॥६५॥
sabhā asela dvijāmcī | namaskāra karā tumhī ekacī | devārcanī taisecī | namaskāra pāve samastā ||65||
If there is an assembly of brahmins, offer them all a single collective bow; the same holds in worship of the gods — one bow reaches everyone present.
A practical concession to a crowd — a single, sincere gesture toward the whole group is accepted as reaching each individual within it.
When you cannot honor everyone individually, one sincere, collective gesture of respect is enough.
माता पिता श्रीगुरूसी । नमस्काराची रीति ऐसी । उभय हस्ते कर्णस्पर्शी । एकभावे वंदावे ॥६६॥
mātā pitā śrīgurūsī | namaskārācī rīti aisī | ubhaya haste karṇasparśī | ekabhāve vamdāve ||66||
To mother, father, and Śrī Guru, this is the proper manner of prostration: touching both ears with both hands, one should bow with a single, wholehearted feeling.
The specific gesture — hands to ears — was a traditional mark of deep humility and attentiveness, physically enacting 'I am listening and submitting.'
Let your body language, not just your words, express the sincerity of the respect you feel.
सव्य पादावरी देखा । सव्य हस्त स्पर्शोनि निका । वामहस्ती वामपादुका । धरूनि नमन करावे ॥६७॥
savya pādāvarī dekhā | savya hasta sparśoni nikā | vāmahastī vāmapādukā | dharūni namana karāve ||67||
One should touch the right foot with the right hand properly, and hold the left foot with the left hand, and bow in this way.
The precise, symmetric gesture of a full prostration — right to right, left to left — reflects how deeply formalized even a moment of humility could be.
Let your gestures of respect be deliberate and complete, not hurried or half-done.
गुरुस्थानांची नावे । सांगेन ऐका भावे । विचारोनिया बरवे । नमस्कारावे येणे विधी ॥६८॥
gurusthānāmcī nāve | sāmgena aikā bhāve | vicāroniyā barave | namaskārāve yeṇe vidhī ||68||
I will tell you the names of those who hold the position of a Guru, listen with feeling; having considered them carefully, one should bow to them in this manner.
The text is about to widen who deserves a Guru's honor — showing that reverence is due to more people than the formal, initiating teacher alone.
Recognize the many people in your life who quietly deserve the honor usually reserved for one formal mentor.
माता पिता गुरु धाता । भयहर्ता अन्नदाता । व्रतबंध केल्या पुरोहिता । सापत्नी ते गुरुस्थानी ॥६९॥
mātā pitā guru dhātā | bhayahartā annadātā | vratabamdha kelyā purohitā | sāpatnī te gurusthānī ||69||
Mother, father, teacher, one's sustainer, one who removes fear, one who gives food, the priest who performed one's sacred-thread rite, and a stepmother — these all hold a Guru's place.
The category of 'Guru' expands to anyone who has nourished, protected, or initiated you — the text redefines teacherhood as anyone who has given you something essential.
Honor everyone in your life who has protected, fed, or guided you, not only your formal teachers.
ज्येष्ठ भ्राता अथवा चुलता । सापत्न असेल ज्याची माता । वय अधिक इष्टमित्रा । नमस्कारावे तयांसी ॥७०॥
jyeṣṭha bhrātā athavā culatā | sāpatna asela jyācī mātā | vaya adhika iṣṭamitrā | namaskārāve tayāmsī ||70||
An elder brother or paternal uncle, one's mother's co-wife, someone older in age, or a dear close friend — one should bow to these as well.
The circle of respect widens further to encompass ordinary family and friendship bonds, treating age and closeness themselves as worthy of reverence.
Show deliberate respect to those older than you and to close friends, not reserving reverence only for formal authority.
निषिद्ध स्थाने नमावयासी । सांगेन ऐका तुम्हासी । उणे असेल वय ज्यासी । नमू नये विद्वज्जनी ॥७१॥
niṣiddha sthāne namāvayāsī | sāmgena aikā tumhāsī | uṇe asela vaya jyāsī | namū naye vidvajjanī ||71||
I will tell you the situations in which one should not bow, listen: to one who is younger in age, a learned person should not bow.
Respect has its proper direction — reverence flows toward age and seniority, and the text now clarifies where the gesture would be misplaced.
Understand that respect, while owed broadly, still has a proper direction and context — know when a gesture fits and when it doesn't.
अग्नि समिधा पुष्पे कुशा । धरिला असेल अक्षतांकुशा । स्वहस्ती परहस्ती असता दोषा । अशस्त्रवध होईजे नमस्कारिता ॥७२॥
agni samidhā puṣpe kuśā | dharilā asela akṣatāmkuśā | svahastī parahastī asatā doṣā | aśastravadha hoīje namaskāritā ||72||
If one is holding fire, sacred kindling, flowers, kuśa grass, or unbroken rice in the hand — one's own or another's — it is a fault; to bow while holding these is likened to an unweaponed killing.
A vivid, harsh metaphor — likening a distracted bow to violence — stresses that a sacred gesture performed carelessly, hands still full of other tasks, does real harm rather than none.
Set down whatever else you are holding, literally or figuratively, before giving someone your full, respectful attention.
जप अथवा होम करिता । दूर देखिला द्विज येता । स्नान करिता जळी असता । नमन करिता दोष घडे ॥७३॥
japa athavā homa karitā | dūra dekhilā dvija yetā | snāna karitā jaḷī asatā | namana karitā doṣa ghaḍe ||73||
While performing mantra-repetition or fire-oblation, or seeing a brahmin approaching from a distance, or while bathing in water — bowing at such a moment is a fault.
The rule protects the sanctity of one task at a time — interrupting a sacred act, even to perform another respectful act, is itself considered disrespectful to the first.
Finish the task you are fully engaged in before switching your attention to greet or honor someone new.
एखादा विप्र असे धावत । नेणता अथवा धनगर्वित । क्रोधवंत किंवा मंगलस्नान करित । नमस्कार करू नये ॥७४॥
ekhādā vipra ase dhāvata | neṇatā athavā dhanagarvita | krodhavamta kimvā mamgalasnāna karita | namaskāra karū naye ||74||
A brahmin who is running, or ignorant, or arrogant with wealth, or angry, or performing a ceremonial bath — one should not offer him a bow at such a time.
Timing and the recipient's state both matter — a bow offered to someone distracted, prideful, or hostile is judged to miss its purpose entirely.
Choose the right moment to show someone honor — a gesture offered at the wrong time can go unappreciated or be wasted.
एकहस्ते ब्राह्मणासी । नमू नये परियेसी । सूतकिया मूर्ख जनांसी । करू नये नमस्कार ॥७५॥
ekahaste brāhmaṇāsī | namū naye pariyesī | sūtakiyā mūrkha janāmsī | karū naye namaskāra ||75||
One should not bow to a brahmin using only one hand; and one should not bow to those in a period of ritual impurity or to foolish people.
A half-hearted, one-handed gesture is treated as no gesture at all — the physical completeness of the act mirrors the completeness of the respect intended.
Give your gestures of respect fully, not half-heartedly — a partial effort communicates the opposite of what you intend.
गीतवाद्यादि नृत्येसी । संतुष्टावे देवासी । प्रार्थना करावी भक्तीसी । मग अर्चावे सनकादिका ॥७६॥
gītavādyādi nṛtyesī | samtuṣṭāve devāsī | prārthanā karāvī bhaktīsī | maga arcāve sanakādikā ||76||
God should be pleased with song, music, and dance; prayer should be offered with devotion; then the sages beginning with Sanaka should be worshipped.
Joyful expression — music and dance — is affirmed as a legitimate form of devotion, not just solemn ritual; celebration itself can be an offering.
Let some of your devotion or gratitude take a joyful, expressive form, not only a solemn one.
पूजा अपूर्व देवासी । हस्त ठेवूनि पीठेसी । उत्तरपूजा करावी हर्षी । मग करावे उद्वासन ॥७७॥
pūjā apūrva devāsī | hasta ṭhevūni pīṭhesī | uttarapūjā karāvī harṣī | maga karāve udvāsana ||77||
Having offered God this extraordinary worship, placing the hand upon the seat, the closing worship should be performed with joy; then the deity's departure-rite should be done.
Even a welcomed guest must eventually be seen off with proper ceremony — the rite has a clear beginning and end, teaching that devotion, like any relationship, needs a graceful closing as much as an opening.
Give your important moments and encounters a deliberate closing, not just an abrupt stop.
ऐसेपरी देवपूजा । करावी भक्तीने ऐका द्विजा । संस्कृत अन्न व्हावया काजा । वैश्वदेव करावा ॥७८॥
aiseparī devapūjā | karāvī bhaktīne aikā dvijā | samskṛta anna vhāvayā kājā | vaiśvadeva karāvā ||78||
In this manner worship of God should be performed with devotion, listen O brahmin; so that one's food becomes consecrated, the vaiśvadeva offering should then be performed.
Worship and eating are linked directly — food is not fit to eat until it has been offered first, framing every meal as an extension of the morning's devotion.
Treat your meals as connected to your larger practice of gratitude, not as a separate, unconsidered activity.
अग्नि अलंकार करूनि । अन्न अग्निकुंडी दाखवूनि । घृतसंमिश्रित करूनि । पंच भाग करावे ॥७९॥
agni alamkāra karūni | anna agnikumḍī dākhavūni | ghṛtasammiśrita karūni | pamca bhāga karāve ||79||
Having kindled the fire properly, the food should be shown to the fire-pit; mixed with ghee, it should be divided into five portions.
The meal is symbolically shared with fire itself before the household eats — a portion given away first as an act of communal generosity woven into daily life.
Set something aside to give before you take your own share, making generosity a habit rather than an afterthought.
एक भागाच्या दहा आहुति । दुसरा बळिहरणी योजिती । अग्रदान तिसरा करिती । चौथ्या मागे पितृयज्ञ ॥८०॥
eka bhāgācyā dahā āhuti | dusarā baḷiharaṇī yojitī | agradāna tisarā karitī | cauthyā māge pitṛyajña ||80||
With the first portion, ten oblations are offered; the second is set aside for the offering to all beings; the third is given as the first-share offering; the fourth that follows is the ancestor-offering.
The five daily 'great sacrifices' (pañcamahāyajña) are enumerated here in sequence — gods, all beings, guests, ancestors, and fellow humans — the household meal recast as an act reaching every level of existence.
When you have plenty, remember to set portions aside for more than just yourself — for those who came before you and those around you now.
मनुष्ययज्ञ पांचव्यासी । वैश्वदेव करावा मंत्रेसी । अन्न नाही ज्या दिवसी । तंदुलांनी करावा ॥८१॥
manuṣyayajña pāmcavyāsī | vaiśvadeva karāvā mamtresī | anna nāhī jyā divasī | tamdulāmnī karāvā ||81||
The fifth is the offering to fellow humans; vaiśvadeva should be performed with mantra; on a day with no cooked food, it should be done with raw rice grains.
Even genuine scarcity is not accepted as an excuse to skip the rite entirely — the text insists the gesture of offering matters even when reduced to its barest form.
When you have little to give, give something small rather than nothing at all.
वैश्वदेव समयासी । अतिथि आलिया घरासी । चोर चांडाल होय हर्षी । पूजा करावी मनोभावे ॥८२॥
vaiśvadeva samayāsī | atithi āliyā gharāsī | cora cāmḍāla hoya harṣī | pūjā karāvī manobhāve ||82||
At the time of vaiśvadeva, if a guest arrives at the house — even a thief or an outcaste — he should be received with joy and honored wholeheartedly.
Hospitality here overrides even severe social boundaries — whoever arrives at mealtime, regardless of status, is to be treated as worthy of full welcome.
Extend genuine hospitality to whoever arrives at your door in need, without first judging whether they deserve it.
यम सांगे दूतासी । वैश्वदेव करिता नरासी । जाऊ नको तयापासी । विष्णुआज्ञा आम्हा असे ॥८३॥
yama sāmge dūtāsī | vaiśvadeva karitā narāsī | jāū nako tayāpāsī | viṣṇuājñā āmhā ase ||83||
Yama says to his messenger: when a man performs vaiśvadeva, do not go near him — we have Viṣṇu's own command to leave him be.
Even Death's own agents are said to be held back by the merit of this small daily rite — showing how seriously the tradition weighed the ordinary, repeated discipline of hospitality.
Trust that small, faithfully repeated good habits carry more protective power over your life than you might expect.
मातापिताघातकियांसी । शुनि श्वपचचांडासांसी । अतिथि आलिया घरासी अन्न द्यावे परियेसा ॥८४॥
mātāpitāghātakiyāmsī | śuni śvapacacāmḍāsāmsī | atithi āliyā gharāsī anna dyāve pariyesā ||84||
Even to those who have killed their own parents, to dog-cookers and outcastes — if such a one arrives at the house as a guest, food should be given, listen carefully.
The text pushes hospitality to its most extreme, uncomfortable limit — even the gravest sinners, once at your door as guests, are to be fed without exception.
Do not let your judgment of someone's past prevent you from meeting their basic human need in front of you now.
न विचारावे गोत्रकुळ । अन्न घालावे तात्काळ । विन्मुख झालिया पितृकुळ । वर्षै सोळा न येती घरासी ॥८५॥
na vicārāve gotrakuḷa | anna ghālāve tātkāḷa | vinmukha jhāliyā pitṛkuḷa | varṣai soḷā na yetī gharāsī ||85||
One should not question a guest's lineage or family; food should be given at once; if a guest is turned away, the ancestors will not visit that household for sixteen years.
Refusing a guest is treated as severing a link to one's own ancestors — hospitality and ancestral connection are seen as bound together, one act echoing across generations.
Do not let hesitation or suspicion delay a basic act of kindness someone urgently needs.
प्रवासी असेल आपण जरी । औषधि घृत दधि क्षीरी । कंदमूळे फळे तरी । देवयज्ञ करावा ॥८६॥
pravāsī asela āpaṇa jarī | auṣadhi ghṛta dadhi kṣīrī | kamdamūḷe phaḷe tarī | devayajña karāvā ||86||
If one happens to be traveling, then with medicine, ghee, curd, milk, roots, tubers, or fruit — even with these, the sacrifice to the gods should be performed.
Even away from home, with none of the usual materials at hand, the rite is not abandoned — whatever is available becomes the offering.
When away from your normal routine, adapt your practice to whatever resources you have, rather than skipping it entirely.
अन्नाविणे अग्रदान । करू नये साधुजन । पंचमहायज्ञ करू ब्राह्मण । चांद्रायण आचरावे ॥८७॥
annāviṇe agradāna | karū naye sādhujana | pamcamahāyajña karū brāhmaṇa | cāmdrāyaṇa ācarāve ||87||
Without food, good people should not perform the first-offering; a brahmin should perform the five great sacrifices, and should undertake the cāndrāyaṇa fast as atonement if they lapse.
Cāndrāyaṇa — a graduated moon-cycle fast — is named as the corrective when the daily discipline is missed, showing the tradition paired every obligation with a path back after failure.
When you fail to keep a good habit, have a clear, deliberate way of making amends rather than simply moving on.
न होता वैश्वदेव आपुल्या घरी । भिक्षेसि आला नर जरी । भिक्षा घालिता पाप दूरी । वैश्वदेवफल असे ॥८८॥
na hotā vaiśvadeva āpulyā gharī | bhikṣesi ālā nara jarī | bhikṣā ghālitā pāpa dūrī | vaiśvadevaphala ase ||88||
If vaiśvadeva has not been performed at one's own home, and a man comes seeking alms, giving him alms removes the sin entirely — it carries the same merit as vaiśvadeva.
Charity to a beggar is offered as an equivalent substitute for a missed ritual, again privileging the underlying spirit — feeding the hungry — over strict ceremonial form.
If you miss a planned act of devotion, a genuine act of charity can serve just as well in its place.
बळिहरण घालोनि काडःई आपण । त्याणे आचरावे चांद्रायण । आपं काढिता दोष जाण । आणिकाकरवी काढवावे ॥८९॥
baḷiharaṇa ghāloni kāḍaḥī āpaṇa | tyāṇe ācarāve cāmdrāyaṇa | āpam kāḍhitā doṣa jāṇa | āṇikākaravī kāḍhavāve ||89||
If, in performing the offering with water, a fault occurs, one should undertake the cāndrāyaṇa fast; and if drawing the water oneself would be a fault, one should have someone else draw it for them.
Even the small technical question of who fetches the water is addressed carefully, showing how granular the tradition's concern for correct procedure could be.
When you are unsure whether you're the right person to handle a delicate task, ask someone else to do it instead.
बळिहरण न काढिता जेवी जरी । सहा प्राणायाम त्वरित करी । तेणे होय पाप दूरी । श्रीगुरु म्हणती ब्राह्मणासी ॥९०॥
baḷiharaṇa na kāḍhitā jevī jarī | sahā prāṇāyāma tvarita karī | teṇe hoya pāpa dūrī | śrīguru mhaṇatī brāhmaṇāsī ||90||
If one eats without having performed the offering, one should quickly perform six prāṇāyāmas; by this, the sin is removed — so Śrī Guru told the brahmin.
Breath-discipline again appears as a universal remedy — a simple, always-available practice offered as recompense when a more elaborate rite has been missed.
Keep one simple, always-available practice — like a few deep, deliberate breaths — as your fallback when you can't do the fuller version of a good habit.
गृहपूजा करूनि देखा । गोग्रास द्यावा विशेखा । नित्य श्राद्ध करणे ऐका । करूनि अन्न समर्पावे ॥९१॥
gṛhapūjā karūni dekhā | gogrāsa dyāvā viśekhā | nitya śrāddha karaṇe aikā | karūni anna samarpāve ||91||
Having performed the household worship in this way, a portion of food should be given to the cow, listen; a daily offering to the ancestors should be performed, and food offered accordingly.
The cow receives its own dedicated share, gograsa, treated with the same seriousness as any other rite — an animal's welfare woven into the daily sacred order.
Include the animals in your care within your circle of daily generosity, not as an afterthought.
स्वधाकार पिंडदान । करू नये अग्नौकरण । ब्रह्मचारियासी तांबूलदान । दक्षिणा वर्ज परियेसा ॥९२॥
svadhākāra pimḍadāna | karū naye agnaukaraṇa | brahmacāriyāsī tāmbūladāna | dakṣiṇā varja pariyesā ||92||
The ancestral libation and the rice-ball offering should not be performed in the sacred fire; the gift of betel-leaf to a celibate student, and monetary gifts, should be avoided at this time.
The text carefully distinguishes which rites belong to which occasion — not everything sacred belongs together, and mixing rites out of place is itself an error.
Keep the right practice in the right context; don't blur distinct commitments together out of convenience.
वैश्वदेव झालियावरी । उभा राहोनि आपुल्या द्वारी । अतिथिमार्ग पहावा निर्धारी । आलिया पूजन करावे ॥९३॥
vaiśvadeva jhāliyāvarī | ubhā rāhoni āpulyā dvārī | atithimārga pahāvā nirdhārī | āliyā pūjana karāve ||93||
After vaiśvadeva is completed, one should stand at one's own doorway and watch the path with determination for a guest; should one arrive, they should be honored.
Hospitality is shown as active vigilance, not passive waiting — the householder goes to the threshold and actively looks out, ready to welcome whoever might come.
Be actively watchful for opportunities to help or welcome others, rather than waiting for them to present themselves.
श्रमोनि आलिया अतिथिसी । पूजा करावी भक्तीसी । अथवा अस्तमानसमयासी । आलिया पूजन करावे ॥९४॥
śramoni āliyā atithisī | pūjā karāvī bhaktīsī | athavā astamānasamayāsī | āliyā pūjana karāve ||94||
To a guest who arrives weary, worship should be offered with devotion; even at the hour of sunset, should one arrive, they should be honored.
The hospitality extends even to the least convenient hour — a late, tired guest is not to be treated with less warmth than an early one.
Offer the same warmth to someone who arrives at an inconvenient time as you would to someone who arrives when you're prepared.
वर्णाना ब्राह्मणो गुरुः । ऐसे बोलती वेदशास्त्रु । अतिथि जाण सर्व गुरु । वैश्वदेवसमयासी ॥९५॥
varṇānā brāhmaṇo guruḥ | aise bolatī vedaśāstru | atithi jāṇa sarva guru | vaiśvadevasamayāsī ||95||
'A brahmin is the guru to every class' — so declare the Vedic scriptures; know that a guest, at the time of vaiśvadeva, is to be honored as a guru to everyone.
The visiting guest is elevated to the rank of a teacher — hospitality is framed as the recognition that whoever is in front of you deserves the same reverence due a Guru.
Treat whoever is in front of you needing welcome as if they deserve the same reverence you'd give a respected teacher.
वैश्वदेवसमयी अतिथिसी । पूजा करिता परियेसी । ती पावे देवांसी । तुष्टे ब्रह्मा इंद्र वह्नि ॥९६॥
vaiśvadevasamayī atithisī | pūjā karitā pariyesī | tī pāve devāmsī | tuṣṭe brahmā imdra vahni ||96||
If a guest is honored at the time of vaiśvadeva, know that this honor reaches the gods themselves; Brahmā, Indra, and Agni are all pleased by it.
Hospitality to a single human guest is said to ripple upward and please the entire pantheon — a small act of kindness is given cosmic significance.
Believe that a single act of kindness to one person can matter far beyond what you can see.
वायुगण अर्यमादि देव । तृप्ति पावे सदाशिव । पूजा करावी एकभाव । सर्व देवता संतुष्टती ॥९७॥
vāyugaṇa aryamādi deva | tṛpti pāve sadāśiva | pūjā karāvī ekabhāva | sarva devatā samtuṣṭatī ||97||
The Vāyu deities, Aryaman and the other gods, and even Sadāśiva himself are satisfied; worship performed with single-pointed devotion pleases all the deities.
The chain of blessing widens further still, reaching even Śiva — reinforcing that the smallest sincere act of hospitality is treated as reaching the very highest divine.
Do not underestimate how far-reaching a small, sincerely offered kindness can turn out to be.
अतिथीपाद प्रक्षाळिती । पितर सकळ तृप्त होती । अन्नदाने ब्रह्मा तृप्ति । विष्णुमहेश्वरा अवधारा ॥९८॥
atithīpāda prakṣāḷitī | pitara sakaḷa tṛpta hotī | annadāne brahmā tṛpti | viṣṇumaheśvarā avadhārā ||98||
Washing the guest's feet satisfies all the ancestors; the gift of food satisfies Brahmā, and Viṣṇu and Maheśa as well, understand this.
Pāda-prakṣālana (washing a guest's feet) becomes an act with cosmic reach — the most humbling physical gesture of service is tied directly to satisfying the ancestors themselves.
Do not consider any act of physical service to another person beneath you — the humblest gestures often carry the deepest meaning.
यतीश्वरादि ब्रह्मचारी । जे समयी येती आपुल्या घरी । अन्न द्यावे निर्धारी । महापुण्य असे देखा ॥९९॥
yatīśvarādi brahmacārī | je samayī yetī āpulyā gharī | anna dyāve nirdhārī | mahāpuṇya ase dekhā ||99||
When ascetics, celibate students, and others of their kind come to one's home, food should be given without fail; this is great merit indeed.
Special mention is made of holy wanderers, whose visits were often rare and unpredictable — hospitality to them specifically was seen as an especially rich opportunity.
Recognize and seize the rare chances to serve someone whose visit is uncommon or unexpected.
ग्रासमात्र दिधला एक । मेरूसमान पुण्य अधिक । बरवे द्यावे त्यासी उदक । समुद्रासमान दान असे ॥१००॥
grāsamātra didhalā eka | merūsamāna puṇya adhika | barave dyāve tyāsī udaka | samudrāsamāna dāna ase ||100||
Even giving just a single mouthful of food carries merit as great as Mount Meru; giving water properly carries merit equal to the ocean.
The text uses cosmic scale — a mountain, an ocean — to measure the worth of the smallest gestures of hospitality, dignifying even minimal generosity.
Do not dismiss a small act of generosity as insignificant; even a little, given sincerely, is worth a great deal.
अतिथि आलिया घरासी । जेवी आपण त्यजूनी त्यासी । श्वानयोनी पावे हर्षी । गर्दभयोनी पुढे उपजे ॥१॥
atithi āliyā gharāsī | jevī āpaṇa tyajūnī tyāsī | śvānayonī pāve harṣī | gardabhayonī puḍhe upaje ||1||
If a guest comes to the house and one eats while turning him away, that person is reborn as a dog, and after that as a donkey.
The severity of the warning matches the severity of the earlier praise — neglecting a guest is treated as one of the gravest failures a householder can commit.
Never begin enjoying something for yourself while someone in genuine need waits unattended nearby.
ऐसे अतिथि पूजोन । मग करावे भोजन आपण । सर्वथा न करावे अन्न भिन्न । प्रपंच करिता दोष असे ॥२॥
aise atithi pūjona | maga karāve bhojana āpaṇa | sarvathā na karāve anna bhinna | prapamca karitā doṣa ase ||2||
Having honored the guest in this way, one should then eat one's own meal; one should never divide the food unfairly — doing so out of self-interest is a fault.
Fairness in sharing is made explicit — food is not to be secretly hoarded or unequally divided even within one's own household.
Share resources fairly among everyone present, resisting the temptation to quietly favor yourself.
सायंप्रातर्गृहस्थासी । भोजन करणे संतोषी । प्रक्षालन करोनि पादांसी । ओले पायी असावे ॥३॥
sāyamprātargṛhasthāsī | bhojana karaṇe samtoṣī | prakṣālana karoni pādāmsī | ole pāyī asāve ||3||
A householder should eat his meals morning and evening, with contentment; having washed his feet, he should keep them moist before sitting to eat.
A fixed, moderate rhythm of two daily meals, bracketed by simple cleansing, reflects the tradition's preference for regularity and restraint over indulgence.
Keep your meals to a steady, moderate rhythm rather than eating erratically throughout the day.
ओली असावी पाच स्थाने । हस्त पाद उभय जाणे । मुख ओले पंचम स्थाने । शतायुषी पुरुष होय ॥४॥
olī asāvī pāca sthāne | hasta pāda ubhaya jāṇe | mukha ole pamcama sthāne | śatāyuṣī puruṣa hoya ||4||
Five places should be kept moist, know: both hands, both feet, and the mouth as the fifth — one who does so becomes a person of a hundred years' life.
A small hygienic habit is tied to longevity — the tradition frequently links ordinary bodily discipline directly to length and quality of life.
Treat small, consistent bodily habits as genuinely connected to your long-term wellbeing.
पूर्वाभिमुख बैसोन । भोजनसमयी धरा मौन । पाद उभय जोडोन । बैसावे ऐका एकचित्ते ॥५॥
pūrvābhimukha baisona | bhojanasamayī dharā mauna | pāda ubhaya joḍona | baisāve aikā ekacitte ||5||
Sitting facing east, one should keep silence at mealtime; sitting with both feet joined together, one should eat with a single, attentive mind.
Silence and stillness turn the meal itself into a form of meditation — direction, posture, and quiet together make eating a disciplined, mindful act.
Eat at least one meal a day in silence and without distraction, giving the act your full attention.
मंडल करावे चतुष्कोनी । वरी भस्म प्रोक्षोनि । क्षत्रियास मंडल त्रिकोनी । वर्तुळ वैश्यासी परियेसा ॥६॥
mamḍala karāve catuṣkonī | varī bhasma prokṣoni | kṣatriyāsa mamḍala trikonī | vartuḷa vaiśyāsī pariyesā ||6||
A four-cornered mandala should be drawn and sprinkled with sacred ash; a triangular mandala is prescribed for the kṣatriya, and a round one for the vaiśya, listen.
The mealtime diagram's shape is tied to caste identity, one more instance of the text's period social hierarchy expressed even in the geometry of daily eating.
Notice that even mundane routines can carry symbolic identity and meaning; be intentional about the small forms your own habits take.
शूद्रे अर्धचंद्राकार । मंडल करावे परिकर । आवाहनावे सुरवर । आदित्य वसु रुद ब्रह्मा ॥७॥
śūdre ardhacamdrākāra | mamḍala karāve parikara | āvāhanāve suravara | āditya vasu ruda brahmā ||7||
For the śūdra, a half-moon shaped mandala should be drawn all around; the great gods should be invoked — Āditya, the Vasus, Rudra, and Brahmā.
Even a shudra's simple meal-mandala is said to invoke the same high gods, subtly affirming that the divine is called upon regardless of one's social station.
Believe that the same grace and blessing are available to everyone, whatever their circumstance in life.
पितामहादि देवता । तया मंडली उपजविता । याचि कारणे तत्त्वता । मंडलाविणे जेवू नये ॥८॥
pitāmahādi devatā | tayā mamḍalī upajavitā | yāci kāraṇe tattvatā | mamḍalāviṇe jevū naye ||8||
The ancestral deities beginning with the great grandfather are invited by that mandala; for this very reason, one should never eat without drawing it.
The meal-diagram is treated as an actual invitation extended to unseen presences — eating without it is like hosting a gathering with no invitation sent.
Set the stage properly for anything meaningful you do, rather than skipping the preparation and going straight to the act itself.
न करिता मंडल जेवी जरी । अन्न नेती निशाचरी । पिशाच असुर राक्षस परी । अन्नरस नेती अवधारा ॥९॥
na karitā mamḍala jevī jarī | anna netī niśācarī | piśāca asura rākṣasa parī | annarasa netī avadhārā ||9||
If one eats without making the mandala, night-wandering spirits carry away the food; ghosts, demons, and rākṣasas take away its very essence, understand this.
The warning frames neglect of small ritual preparation as literally draining the nourishing power out of one's food — care given beforehand protects what follows.
Recognize that skipping small preparatory steps can quietly drain the value out of even a well-intentioned effort.
उत्तम पूर्वाभिमुखी देख । पश्चिम मध्यम ऐक । पितृकार्या उत्तरमुख । सदा दक्षिण वर्जावी ॥११०॥
uttama pūrvābhimukhī dekha | paścima madhyama aika | pitṛkāryā uttaramukha | sadā dakṣiṇa varjāvī ||110||
Facing east is best, see; facing west is of middling merit, listen; for ancestral rites one should face north; facing south should always be avoided.
Direction continues to carry moral and cosmological weight — each cardinal point maps to a different purpose, from ordinary meals to funeral rites.
Orient yourself deliberately — literally or figuratively — toward the purpose of whatever you are about to do.
धरावे पात्र सुवर्ण रजत ताम्रपात्र । पद्मअपात्र पालाशपात्र । पुण्यपात्र परियेसा ॥११॥
dharāve pātra suvarṇa rajata tāmrapātra | padmaapātra pālāśapātra | puṇyapātra pariyesā ||11||
One should use a vessel of gold, silver, or copper; a lotus-leaf plate, or one made of palāśa leaf, is also considered a meritorious vessel, listen.
Leaf-plates are ranked alongside precious metal ones — natural, biodegradable material is treated as no less worthy than costly metal, a leveling detail within an otherwise hierarchical text.
Do not assume that only expensive things are worthy; a simple, natural choice can carry equal merit.
जेविता वर्जावे गृहस्थांनी ताम्रपात्र । यतींनी सुवर्ण अथवा रजत । ताम्रशुक्तिशंखज पात्र । स्फटिक पाषाण यतीसी ॥१२॥
jevitā varjāve gṛhasthāmnī tāmrapātra | yatīmnī suvarṇa athavā rajata | tāmraśuktiśamkhaja pātra | sphaṭika pāṣāṇa yatīsī ||12||
Householders should avoid eating from a copper vessel; ascetics may use gold or silver, or vessels of copper, oyster-shell, or conch; crystal or stone is proper for an ascetic.
Rules differ by life-stage — what suits a renunciant does not suit a householder, showing that the tradition tailors even table-settings to one's stage of life.
Recognize that what's appropriate for you may differ depending on your current stage or role in life, and adjust accordingly rather than copying others blindly.
कर्दलीगर्भपत्रेसी । पद्मपत्रजळे स्पर्शी । वल्लीपालाशपत्रेसी । जेविता चांद्रायण आचरावे ॥१३॥
kardalīgarbhapatresī | padmapatrajaḷe sparśī | vallīpālāśapatresī | jevitā cāmdrāyaṇa ācarāve ||13||
Eating from the inner layer of a plantain leaf, or from lotus leaves touched with water, or from vine or palāśa leaves without proper care — one should undertake the cāndrāyaṇa fast.
Even something as ordinary as a leaf-plate has a right and wrong way to be used, with atonement prescribed for careless practice — nothing in the daily meal is considered too small to matter.
Do the small things correctly the first time, since even minor carelessness can call for real correction later.
वट अश्वत्थ अर्क पटोल । कदंब कोविदारपर्णे कोमळ । भोजन करिता तात्काळ । चांद्रायण आचरावे ॥१४॥
vaṭa aśvattha arka paṭola | kadamba kovidāraparṇe komaḷa | bhojana karitā tātkāḷa | cāmdrāyaṇa ācarāve ||14||
Eating from banyan, peepal, arka, patola, kadamba, or the tender leaves of kovidāra — for this, one should undertake the cāndrāyaṇa fast at once.
Certain trees are marked as entirely unfit for use as eating-leaves, extending the earlier logic that not all natural materials are equally suitable, however available.
Just because something is convenient or available does not make it appropriate; discern before you use it.
लोहपात्र आपुले करी । ताम्र मृण्मय पृष्ठपर्णावरी । कार्पासपत्री वस्त्रावरी । जेविता नरकाप्रती जाय ॥१५॥
lohapātra āpule karī | tāmra mṛṇmaya pṛṣṭhaparṇāvarī | kārpāsapatrī vastrāvarī | jevitā narakāpratī jāya ||15||
Eating from one's own iron vessel, or from a copper or earthen vessel used improperly, or from a cloth spread with leaves — such a person goes to hell.
The warnings escalate to their most severe consequence — even the material and improvisation of one's plate is treated as morally consequential, not a neutral practical matter.
Do not cut corners on the proper way of doing something just because an improvised shortcut is available.
कास्यपात्री जेविल्यासी । यश बळ प्रज्ञा आयुष्यासी । वढे नित्य अधिकेसी । गृहस्थांनी नित्य कास्यपात्र ॥१६॥
kāsyapātrī jevilyāsī | yaśa baḷa prajñā āyuṣyāsī | vaḍhe nitya adhikesī | gṛhasthāmnī nitya kāsyapātra ||16||
Eating from a bronze vessel brings fame, strength, wisdom, and long life, which increase daily; householders should always use a bronze vessel.
After many prohibitions, the text finally affirms the one vessel recommended without qualification — bronze — as the steady, dependable choice for ordinary life.
Settle on one dependable, well-suited tool or habit for your daily routine rather than constantly second-guessing it.
असावे पात्र पाच शेर । नसावे उने अधिक थोर । उत्तमोत्तम षट् शेर । सुवर्णपात्रासमान देखा ॥१७॥
asāve pātra pāca śera | nasāve une adhika thora | uttamottama ṣaṭ śera | suvarṇapātrāsamāna dekhā ||17||
The vessel should hold about five śer — neither too small nor too large; the very best size is six śer, equal in worth to a golden vessel, see.
Even portion-size and vessel-capacity are given careful measure — moderation, neither excess nor deficiency, is again the guiding value.
Aim for the right proportion in your habits — not too little, not too much — rather than either extreme.
कास्यपात्रीचे भोजन । तांबूलासहित अभ्यंगन । यती ब्रह्मचारी जाण । विधवा स्त्रियांनी वर्जावे ॥१८॥
kāsyapātrīce bhojana | tāmbūlāsahita abhyamgana | yatī brahmacārī jāṇa | vidhavā striyāmnī varjāve ||18||
Eating from a bronze vessel, along with betel-leaf and oil-massage, is proper for ascetics and celibate students; widowed women should avoid these.
The text again reflects its era's restrictive customs around widowhood; read today, it is best understood as a historical social rule rather than a spiritual principle.
Recognize which inherited customs reflect timeless wisdom and which reflect the constraints of a particular era, and choose accordingly.
श्वानाच्या चर्माहुनी । निषेध असे एरंडपानी । निषेध अधिक त्याहुनी । आणिक जेविल्या भिन्नताटी ॥१९॥
śvānācyā carmāhunī | niṣedha ase eramḍapānī | niṣedha adhika tyāhunī | āṇika jevilyā bhinnatāṭī ||19||
More forbidden than a dog's hide is a castor-oil leaf; even more forbidden than that is eating from a plate already used by another.
The escalating scale of impurity culminates in something socially, not materially, based — sharing another's already-eaten plate — showing that hygiene and social boundary were treated as deeply intertwined.
Respect basic boundaries of hygiene and personal space, even in casual or shared settings.
फुटके कास्यपात्रेसी । जेविता होय महादोषी । संध्याकाळी जेविता हर्षी । महापातकी होय जाणा ॥१२०॥
phuṭake kāsyapātresī | jevitā hoya mahādoṣī | samdhyākāḷī jevitā harṣī | mahāpātakī hoya jāṇā ||120||
Eating from a broken bronze vessel brings great fault; eating with pleasure at the twilight hour makes one a grave sinner, know this.
Two seemingly minor missteps — a chipped vessel, an ill-timed meal — are treated with surprising severity, underscoring how completely daily routine was woven into moral life.
Do not dismiss small lapses in your routine as harmless; consistency in the details matters more than it seems.
जवळी असता पतित जरी । जेवू नये अवधारी । शूद्र जेविल्या शेषावरी । जेवू नये ब्राह्मणाने ॥२१॥
javaḷī asatā patita jarī | jevū naye avadhārī | śūdra jevilyā śeṣāvarī | jevū naye brāhmaṇāne ||21||
If a fallen or impure person is nearby, one should not eat, take heed; a brahmin should not eat the leftover food of a shudra's meal.
These caste-based dining restrictions are period social custom; the underlying value worth keeping is mindfulness about what and with whom one shares food, even as the specific rule reflects an outdated hierarchy.
Be mindful and intentional about the company you keep during meaningful shared moments like meals.
सवे घेउनी बाळासी । जेवू नये श्राद्धदिवसी । आसन आपुले आपणासी । घालू नये ब्राह्मणाने ॥२२॥
save gheunī bāḷāsī | jevū naye śrāddhadivasī | āsana āpule āpaṇāsī | ghālū naye brāhmaṇāne ||22||
One should not eat while holding a small child on the day of a memorial rite; a brahmin should not arrange his own seat for himself.
Solemn occasions like ancestral rites are given their own etiquette, distinct from an ordinary meal, and even self-service in preparing one's own seat is discouraged as a form of humility.
Adjust your behavior to match the solemnity of the occasion, and let others serve you at times rather than always serving yourself.
आपोशन आपुले हाती । घेऊ नये मंदमती । तैल घालुनी स्वहस्ती । आपण अभ्यंग करू नये ॥२३॥
āpośana āpule hātī | gheū naye mamdamatī | taila ghālunī svahastī | āpaṇa abhyamga karū naye ||23||
A person of dull mind should not take the after-meal rinse-water in his own hand; nor should one apply oil to oneself with one's own hand.
Certain closing gestures of the meal are meant to be received from another rather than done for oneself, reinforcing humility and interdependence even in small physical acts.
Allow yourself, at times, to receive small acts of care from others rather than insisting on doing everything yourself.
भोजनकाळी मंडळ देखा । करू नये स्वहस्तका । आयुष्यक्षय पुत्रघातका । म्हणिजे नाम तयासी ॥२४॥
bhojanakāḷī mamḍaḷa dekhā | karū naye svahastakā | āyuṣyakṣaya putraghātakā | mhaṇije nāma tayāsī ||24||
At mealtime, one should not draw the mandala with one's own hand, see; doing so is given the name 'life-diminishing, child-destroying.'
A surprisingly harsh label is attached to what looks like a minor procedural error, again underscoring how seriously correct performance of small daily rites was regarded.
Take small procedural details seriously, since neglecting them can carry consequences out of proportion to how minor they seem.
नमस्कारावे वाढिता अन्न । अभिधारावे पहिलेचि जाण । प्राणाहुति घेता क्षण । घृत घालावे स्वहस्ताने ॥२५॥
namaskārāve vāḍhitā anna | abhidhārāve pahileci jāṇa | prāṇāhuti ghetā kṣaṇa | ghṛta ghālāve svahastāne ||25||
When food is served, one should bow first, know; the first portion should be set aside beforehand; when taking the vital-breath offering, ghee should be poured with one's own hand.
Ghee alone is meant to be poured by one's own hand even amid these many delegated gestures, singling it out as the one act of personal devotion not to be handed off.
Keep at least one part of any meaningful ritual something you do with your own hands, not delegated entirely to others.
उदक घेऊनि व्याह्रति मंत्री । प्रोक्षोनि अन्न करा पवित्री । परिषिंचावे तेचि रीती । मग नमावे चित्रगुप्ता ॥२६॥
udaka gheūni vyāhrati mamtrī | prokṣoni anna karā pavitrī | pariṣimcāve teci rītī | maga namāve citraguptā ||26||
Taking water with the vyāhṛti mantras, one should sprinkle it to purify the food; the sprinkling should be done in this same manner, then one should bow to Citragupta.
Citragupta, the divine scribe who records one's deeds, is invoked even at mealtime — a reminder woven into the daily meal that one's actions are always being witnessed and recorded.
Act at your meal, and in ordinary moments generally, as though your conduct is always being witnessed, even when it seems private.
बळी घालोनि चित्रगुप्तासी । काढवावे सवेचि परियेसी । वाम हस्तक धुवोनि सरसी । पात्र दृढ धरावे ॥२७॥
baḷī ghāloni citraguptāsī | kāḍhavāve saveci pariyesī | vāma hastaka dhuvoni sarasī | pātra dṛḍha dharāve ||27||
Having offered the portion to Citragupta, it should be removed at once, listen; having washed the left hand cleanly, one should hold the vessel firmly.
A brief, practical instruction on handling the food vessel closes out the offering sequence, showing how seamlessly the sacred and the merely practical intertwine throughout the meal.
Handle the practical and the meaningful parts of a task with the same steady care, not treating one as more important than the other.
अंगुष्ठतर्जनीमध्यमांगुलीसी । धरावे पात्र वामहस्तेसी । आपोशन करावे सव्यकरेसी । आणिकाकरवी घालावे ॥२८॥
amguṣṭhatarjanīmadhyamāmgulīsī | dharāve pātra vāmahastesī | āpośana karāve savyakaresī | āṇikākaravī ghālāve ||28||
With the thumb, forefinger, and middle finger, one should hold the vessel with the left hand; the sipping-water should be taken with the right hand, and should be poured by another person.
Once again a closing act, apoṣaṇa, is meant to be facilitated by someone else — the meal's rhythm alternates between self-reliance and receiving help from others.
Notice which parts of your routines are best done alone and which are better shared with the help of another, and honor both.
आपोशन उदक सोडोनि जरी । आणिक घेती उदक तरी । श्वानमूत्र घेतल्यापरी । एकचित्ते परियेसा ॥२९॥
āpośana udaka soḍoni jarī | āṇika ghetī udaka tarī | śvānamūtra ghetalyāparī | ekacitte pariyesā ||29||
If one releases the apoṣaṇa-water and another then takes water from the same place, it is regarded as though they had taken a dog's urine — listen with a single mind.
A vivid, almost shocking comparison underscores how seriously ritual purity of shared water was treated — once released as impure runoff, it must never be reused.
Once something has served its purpose and been set aside as spent, do not try to reuse or repurpose it carelessly.
धरिले आपोशन ब्राह्मणासी । नमस्कारिता महादोषी । आशीर्वाद घेऊ नये तयापासी । उभयतांसी दोष घडे ॥१३०॥
dharile āpośana brāhmaṇāsī | namaskāritā mahādoṣī | āśīrvāda gheū naye tayāpāsī | ubhayatāmsī doṣa ghaḍe ||130||
If a brahmin is holding the apoṣaṇa-water in hand, bowing to him at that moment is a grave fault; one should not receive his blessing then — fault falls on both parties.
Mutual responsibility appears here — an ill-timed gesture harms not only the one who makes it but also the one who receives it, a reminder that etiquette protects both sides of an exchange.
Be mindful that poor timing in your interactions can affect the other person as much as yourself, not just you.
मौन असावे ब्राअह्मणे देख । बोलू नये शब्दादिक । आपोशन घ्यावे मंत्रपूर्वक । मग घ्याव्या प्राणाहुति ॥३१॥
mauna asāve brāahmaṇe dekha | bolū naye śabdādika | āpośana ghyāve mamtrapūrvaka | maga ghyāvyā prāṇāhuti ||31||
A brahmin should keep silence, see, and should not utter a single word; the apoṣaṇa-water should be taken with mantra, and only then should the vital-breath offerings be taken.
The instructions for the meal's sequence are repeated and reinforced — silence, then water, then the breath-offerings — the ritual's careful order given once more for emphasis.
Follow the right order of steps in an important task rather than skipping ahead out of impatience.
आपोशनाविण भोजन करी । पापविमोचन करा तरी । अष्टोत्तरशत मंत्र गायत्री । जपता दोष परिहरे ॥३२॥
āpośanāviṇa bhojana karī | pāpavimocana karā tarī | aṣṭottaraśata mamtra gāyatrī | japatā doṣa parihare ||32||
If one eats without taking the apoṣaṇa-water, one should perform the sin-cleansing rite: reciting the Gāyatrī mantra one hundred and eight times removes the fault.
As with earlier lapses, a clear remedy is offered — repeating the Gāyatrī mantra 108 times, showing again that mistakes have accessible paths of correction rather than permanent condemnation.
Have a simple, repeatable way to make amends whenever you slip up in an important daily discipline.
प्राणाहुतीचे विधान । सांगेन ऐकिजे ब्राह्मण । प्राणाग्निहोत्र करिता जाण । समस्त पापे जाती देखा ॥३३॥
prāṇāhutīce vidhāna | sāmgena aikije brāhmaṇa | prāṇāgnihotra karitā jāṇa | samasta pāpe jātī dekhā ||33||
I will tell the method of the vital-breath offering, listen O brahmins; by performing this fire-rite of the vital breath, all sins are destroyed, see.
Prāṇāgnihotra treats the very act of eating as an internal fire-sacrifice — breath and digestion reimagined as a continuous inner offering, sanctifying something as basic as nourishment.
See your body's ordinary functioning — breathing, eating — as itself worthy of reverence, not separate from your spiritual life.
जैसा कार्पासराशीची । अग्नि लागता परियेसी । जळोनि जाय त्वरितेसी । तैसी पापे नासती ॥३४॥
jaisā kārpāsarāśīcī | agni lāgatā pariyesī | jaḷoni jāya tvaritesī | taisī pāpe nāsatī ||34||
Just as a heap of cotton, when touched by fire, burns away in an instant, so too are sins destroyed by this practice.
A vivid, homely simile — cotton catching fire — conveys how swiftly and completely this simple inner discipline is said to consume accumulated wrongdoing.
Trust that a small, well-placed effort can undo a surprisingly large amount of built-up harm, if applied with sincerity.
प्राणाहुतीचे लक्षण । चतुर्विध पुरुषार्थ जाण । अन्न स्पर्शोनि मंत्र म्हणे । गीताश्लोक प्रख्यात ॥३५॥
prāṇāhutīce lakṣaṇa | caturvidha puruṣārtha jāṇa | anna sparśoni mamtra mhaṇe | gītāśloka prakhyāta ||35||
The nature of the vital-breath offering grants the four aims of life, know; touching the food, one should recite the mantra — the well-known verse from the Gītā.
The chapter now quotes directly from the Bhagavad Gītā — grounding this household practice in the authority of its most famous scripture, tying kitchen table and battlefield teaching together.
Let the deepest wisdom you know inform even your smallest, most ordinary daily acts.
श्लोक ॥ अहं वैश्वानरो भूत्वा प्राणिनां देहमाश्रितः । प्राणापानसमायुक्तः पचाम्यन्नं चतुर्विधम् ॥३६॥
śloka || aham vaiśvānaro bhūtvā prāṇinām dehamāśritaḥ | prāṇāpānasamāyuktaḥ pacāmyannam caturvidham ||36||
Verse: 'I, having become Vaiśvānara, dwell in the bodies of living beings; united with the outgoing and incoming breath, I digest the fourfold food.'
This is the Gītā's own verse declaring that the divine itself is the digestive fire within every creature — Vaiśvānara (the universal fire) names the sacred hiding inside the most ordinary bodily process.
Recognize something sacred in your own body's quiet, constant work, like digestion and breath, rather than only in grand or visible acts.
टीका ॥ अन्नं ब्रह्म रसो विष्णु । भोक्ता देव गिरिजारमणु । ऐसा तुम्ही मंत्र म्हणोनु । अग्निरस्मि मंत्र जपावा ॥३७॥
ṭīkā || annam brahma raso viṣṇu | bhoktā deva girijāramaṇu | aisā tumhī mamtra mhaṇonu | agnirasmi mamtra japāvā ||37||
Commentary: 'Food is Brahmā, its essence is Viṣṇu, the enjoyer is the god who is beloved of the mountain's daughter' — reciting this mantra, one should chant 'agnir asmi' (I am fire).
A single verse folds the whole Trimūrti into the act of eating — food as Brahmā's creation, taste as Viṣṇu's sustenance, and the eater's own hunger as Śiva's consuming fire — the entire theology compressed into one bite.
See a shared meal as more than fuel — let it remind you of everything that made it possible, from creation to sustenance to your own appetite.
मग घ्याव्या प्राणाहुति । आहेति पंच मंत्र प्रख्याति । तर्जनी मध्यम अंगुष्ठधृती । प्राणाय स्वाहा म्हणावे ॥३८॥
maga ghyāvyā prāṇāhuti | āheti pamca mamtra prakhyāti | tarjanī madhyama amguṣṭhadhṛtī | prāṇāya svāhā mhaṇāve ||38||
Then one should take the prāṇa-oblations; there are five well-known mantras; holding the thumb with the forefinger and middle finger, one should say 'prāṇāya svāhā' (an offering to the outbreath).
Before eating, five small breath-offerings consecrate the body's own vital airs as an act of worship — prāṇāhuti (offering to life-breath) turns the meal itself into a sacrifice.
Before your next meal, pause for one breath of gratitude instead of eating on autopilot.
मध्यम अनामिका अंगुष्ठेसी । अपानाय स्वाहा म्हणा हर्षी । व्यानाय स्वाहा म्हणा यांसी । कनिष्ठिकाअनामिकाअंगुष्ठेसी ॥३९॥
madhyama anāmikā amguṣṭhesī | apānāya svāhā mhaṇā harṣī | vyānāya svāhā mhaṇā yāmsī | kaniṣṭhikāanāmikāamguṣṭhesī ||39||
With the middle finger, ring finger and thumb, say 'apānāya svāhā' joyfully; with the little finger, ring finger and thumb, say 'vyānāya svāhā.'
The sequence continues naming the body's vital airs — prāṇa, apāna, vyāna — each ritually honored in turn, so that even ordinary bodily function is treated as sacred.
Treat your body's basic functions — breath, digestion, movement — as worthy of a moment's respect.
अंगुष्ठतर्जनीकनिष्ठिकेसी । उदानाय स्वाहा म्हणा हर्षी । पंचांगुलीने परियेसी । समानाय स्वाहा म्हणावे ॥१४०॥
amguṣṭhatarjanīkaniṣṭhikesī | udānāya svāhā mhaṇā harṣī | pamcāmgulīne pariyesī | samānāya svāhā mhaṇāve ||140||
With thumb, forefinger and little finger, say 'udānāya svāhā' joyfully; with all five fingers together, say 'samānāya svāhā.'
This completes the five prāṇa-offerings, consecrating the body's inner economy before food ever touches it.
Finish a small ritual or routine all the way through rather than stopping halfway.
प्राणाहुती घेतल्या अन्न । दंता स्पर्शो नये जाण । जिव्हे गिळावे तक्षण । मग धरावे मौन देखा ॥४१॥
prāṇāhutī ghetalyā anna | damtā sparśo naye jāṇa | jivhe giḷāve takṣaṇa | maga dharāve mauna dekhā ||41||
After taking the prāṇa-oblations, the food should not touch the teeth; it should be swallowed at once with the tongue, and then silence should be kept.
These sips are swallowed without chewing, as a purely symbolic offering; the silence (mauna) that follows turns eating into an unhurried, meditative act rather than mere ingestion.
Give the first bite of a meal your full, silent attention before you start talking.
मौन धरावयाची स्थाने । सांगेन ऐका अतिउत्तमे । स्नानासमयी धरा निर्गुणे । न धरिता फल असेना ॥४२॥
mauna dharāvayācī sthāne | sāmgena aikā atiuttame | snānāsamayī dharā nirguṇe | na dharitā phala asenā ||42||
I will tell you the occasions for keeping silence, listen well; keep it especially while bathing; without keeping it, there is no benefit.
Silence is prescribed for specific acts like bathing, because it is unbroken attention — not the outward gesture alone — that makes an act fruitful.
Do one daily task, such as bathing or walking, in complete silence to sharpen your attention.
होम करिता न धरी मौन । लक्ष्मी जाय तत्क्षण । जेविता मौन न धरिता आपण । अपमृत्यु घडे त्यासी ॥४३॥
homa karitā na dharī mauna | lakṣmī jāya tatkṣaṇa | jevitā mauna na dharitā āpaṇa | apamṛtyu ghaḍe tyāsī ||43||
If silence is not kept while performing the fire-offering, wealth departs at once; if silence is not kept while eating, one suffers an untimely death.
Vivid warnings — lost fortune, early death — dramatize how seriously unbroken concentration during sacred and vital acts was regarded.
Guard your focus during important undertakings; distraction has real costs.
अशक्य असेल मौन जरी । प्राणाहुति घेई तववरी । मौन धरावे अवधारी । श्रीगुरु म्हणती ब्राह्मणासी ॥४४॥
aśakya asela mauna jarī | prāṇāhuti gheī tavavarī | mauna dharāve avadhārī | śrīguru mhaṇatī brāhmaṇāsī ||44||
If keeping full silence is not possible, keep it at least while taking the prāṇa-oblations; Shri Guru tells this to the brahmin.
The guru offers a graded, achievable minimum — even a partial discipline still honors the practice.
When you can't do a discipline fully, do the smallest faithful version rather than skip it entirely.
पिता जिवंत असे ज्यासी । अथवा ज्येष्ठ बंधु परियेसी । धरू नये मौनासी । श्राद्धान्न जेविता धरावे ॥४५॥
pitā jivamta ase jyāsī | athavā jyeṣṭha bamdhu pariyesī | dharū naye maunāsī | śrāddhānna jevitā dharāve ||45||
One whose father is living, or who has an elder brother, need not keep silence at meals; but one should keep silence while eating food offered in the ancestral rite.
Silence at ordinary meals is waived under an elder's household headship, but food eaten in honor of ancestors always calls for it.
Reserve your most careful, quiet attention for the moments that honor those who came before you.
पंच प्राणाहुति देता । सर्वांसी मौन ग्राह्यता । असेल पिता वडील भ्राता । मौन धरिल्या अधःपात ॥४६॥
pamca prāṇāhuti detā | sarvāmsī mauna grāhyatā | asela pitā vaḍīla bhrātā | mauna dharilyā adhaḥpāta ||46||
While giving the five prāṇa-oblations, silence should be observed by all; but if the father or elder brother is present, keeping silence through the whole meal brings downfall.
Correct discipline includes knowing when not to apply a rule; rigid observance in the wrong context becomes its own error.
Apply guidance in context — a good rule at the wrong moment can do harm, not good.
जेविता प्रथम मधुरान्न । भोजन करावे नरे जाण । भक्षून पूर्वी द्रवान्न । कठिणांश परियेसा ॥४७॥
jevitā prathama madhurānna | bhojana karāve nare jāṇa | bhakṣūna pūrvī dravānna | kaṭhiṇāmśa pariyesā ||47||
While eating, one should first take the sweet food; a man should eat in this way, taking the liquid food before the hard portion.
A simple sequencing rule for a meal, treating even the order of bites as part of a disciplined life.
Bring the same mindful ordering to small daily habits, not just to big decisions.
भोजनांती समयासी । जेवू नये द्रवान्नांसी । बळ जाय परियेसी । शीघ्र भोजन करावे ॥४८॥
bhojanāmtī samayāsī | jevū naye dravānnāmsī | baḷa jāya pariyesī | śīghra bhojana karāve ||48||
At the end of the meal, one should not eat liquid food; strength is lost by it; eating should be done briskly.
Balance and timing in eating are treated as preserving one's vitality, not just table manners.
Notice when even a good habit is being done at the wrong time, and adjust.
धेनूसी उदक प्यावयासी । जितुका वेळ होय त्यासी । भोजन करावे परियेसी । शीघ्र भोजन मुख्य जाणा ॥४९॥
dhenūsī udaka pyāvayāsī | jitukā veḷa hoya tyāsī | bhojana karāve pariyesī | śīghra bhojana mukhya jāṇā ||49||
One should finish eating in about the time it takes a cow to drink water; brisk eating is the chief rule.
A folk measure for the right pace at meals — neither rushed nor dawdling — echoing the broader teaching that daily acts should be unhurried yet prompt.
Set a natural, unhurried pace for your meals instead of eating distracted or too slowly.
भोजन करावयाची स्थिति । सांगेन ऐका ग्रासमिति । संन्यासी-मुनि-यती । अष्ट ग्रास ध्यावे जाण ॥१५०॥
bhojana karāvayācī sthiti | sāmgena aikā grāsamiti | samnyāsī-muni-yatī | aṣṭa grāsa dhyāve jāṇa ||150||
I will tell you the manner of eating and the measure of morsels: a renunciant, a sage, an ascetic should take eight morsels per meal.
Ascetics on the path of renunciation eat the fewest mouthfuls, showing that even the amount of food is graded by one's stage of spiritual discipline.
Match how much you consume to your actual need, not to habit or appetite.
षोडश ग्रास अरण्यवासी । द्वात्रिशत गृहस्थासी । मिति नाही ब्रह्मचार्यासी । एकचित्ते परियेसा ॥५१॥
ṣoḍaśa grāsa araṇyavāsī | dvātriśata gṛhasthāsī | miti nāhī brahmacāryāsī | ekacitte pariyesā ||51||
The forest-dweller takes sixteen morsels, the householder thirty-two; there is no fixed limit for the celibate student.
Restraint increases with renunciation across life-stages, while the young student, still building strength, is exempt from limits.
Allow yourself to eat enough while you're working hard or growing, and practice restraint as life allows more stillness.
जितुका मावेल आपुल्या मुखी । तितुका ग्रास घ्यावा विशेखी । अधिक घेता ग्रास मुखी । उच्छिष्ठ भक्षिले फळ देखा ॥५२॥
jitukā māvela āpulyā mukhī | titukā grāsa ghyāvā viśekhī | adhika ghetā grāsa mukhī | ucchiṣṭha bhakṣile phaḷa dekhā ||52||
One should take only as much as fits comfortably in the mouth; taking a larger morsel turns it into eating one's own leftovers.
Overloading a bite is treated as a subtle impurity — eating with restraint keeps the act clean and respectful.
Take smaller bites and finish what's in your mouth before taking more.
अर्धा ग्रास भक्षूनि । उरले ठेविती आपुल्या भाणी । चांद्रायण आचरावे त्यांनी । उच्छिष्ठ भोजन तया नाव ॥५३॥
ardhā grāsa bhakṣūni | urale ṭhevitī āpulyā bhāṇī | cāmdrāyaṇa ācarāve tyāmnī | ucchiṣṭha bhojana tayā nāva ||53||
If one eats half a morsel and leaves the rest in one's own dish, one should perform the lunar penance; this is called eating one's own leftovers.
Leaving food half-eaten in one's plate was taken seriously enough to require an atoning practice — a strong statement against wasting or fouling food.
Finish what you serve yourself rather than leaving half-eaten portions behind.
न बैसावे सहभोजनासी । इष्टसोयरे इत्यादिकांसी । व्रतबंधाविणे पुत्रासी । कन्याकुमारांसी दोष नाही ॥५४॥
na baisāve sahabhojanāsī | iṣṭasoyare ityādikāmsī | vratabamdhāviṇe putrāsī | kanyākumārāmsī doṣa nāhī ||54||
One should not sit down to eat together with close relatives and friends; for a son not yet invested with the sacred thread, or for young daughters, there is no fault in sharing a meal.
Seating protocol at meals is based on ritual status; children not yet initiated are exempt from the separation that applies to adults.
Recognize which expectations belong to which stage of life, and don't impose adult formality on children.
सांडू नये अन्न देखा । घृत पायस विशेष ऐका । सांडावे थोडे ग्रास एका । जेवू नये सर्व अन्न ॥५५॥
sāmḍū naye anna dekhā | ghṛta pāyasa viśeṣa aikā | sāmḍāve thoḍe grāsa ekā | jevū naye sarva anna ||55||
Food should not be spilled, especially ghee and rice-pudding; one should leave a small amount, not eating every last bit.
Leaving a token portion uneaten was itself a small courtesy — a reminder that not everything is meant to be consumed for oneself alone.
Leave a little on your plate as a small practice of restraint and gratitude, not entitlement.
भोजन संपेपर्यंत । पात्री धरावा वामहस्त । जरी सोडील अजाणत । अन्न वर्जोनि उठावे ॥५६॥
bhojana sampeparyamta | pātrī dharāvā vāmahasta | jarī soḍīla ajāṇata | anna varjoni uṭhāve ||56||
Until the meal is finished, one should hold the plate with the left hand; if it is released unknowingly, one should abandon the food and rise.
A strict rule about hand placement treats any lapse as breaking the meal's sanctity entirely, rather than a minor slip to shrug off.
When you break an important discipline, don't try to patch it — stop and restart cleanly.
या कारणे द्विजजना । सोडू नये पात्र जाणा । अथवा न धरावे पूर्वीच जाणा । दोष नाही परियेसा ॥५७॥
yā kāraṇe dvijajanā | soḍū naye pātra jāṇā | athavā na dharāve pūrvīca jāṇā | doṣa nāhī pariyesā ||57||
For this reason a twice-born should not let go of the plate midway; or, if one does not hold it from the start, there is no fault.
A practical loophole: consistency matters more than the specific gesture — either commit to holding it throughout, or don't start.
If you can't sustain a commitment all the way through, be honest about that upfront rather than half-committing.
वस्त्र गुंडाळोनि डोयीसी । अथवा संमुख दक्षिणेसी । वामपादावरी हस्तेसी । जेविता अन्न राक्षस नेती ॥५८॥
vastra gumḍāḷoni ḍoyīsī | athavā sammukha dakṣiṇesī | vāmapādāvarī hastesī | jevitā anna rākṣasa netī ||58||
Eating with a cloth wrapped around the head, or facing south, or with the hand resting on the left foot — the food is said to be carried off by demons.
Forbidden postures at meals are framed as inviting harmful forces, an old way of insisting on upright, respectful bodily posture at the table.
Sit up properly and attentively at meals rather than slouching or eating carelessly.
वामहस्त भूमीवरी । ठेवूनि नर भोजन करी । रोग होय शरीरी । अंगुली सोडोनि जेवू नये ॥५९॥
vāmahasta bhūmīvarī | ṭhevūni nara bhojana karī | roga hoya śarīrī | amgulī soḍoni jevū naye ||59||
A man who keeps the left hand on the ground while eating brings disease upon the body; one should not eat with the fingers spread apart.
Careless bodily habits at the table are linked to bodily harm, underscoring that eating is treated as a disciplined, whole-body act.
Keep your hands and posture composed and deliberate, even in a small habitual act like eating.
अंगुली सोडूनि जेवी जरी । दोष गोमांस भक्षिल्यापरी । दोष असती नानापरी । स्थाने असती भोजनासी ॥१६०॥
amgulī soḍūni jevī jarī | doṣa gomāmsa bhakṣilyāparī | doṣa asatī nānāparī | sthāne asatī bhojanāsī ||160||
If one eats with the fingers spread apart, the fault equals that of eating forbidden meat; faults of many kinds exist, and so do improper places for eating.
The gravest available comparison presses home how seriously the text takes correct table manners, however minor they may seem.
Take small etiquette seriously — it trains attention even when the stakes seem minor.
अश्वगजारूढ होऊनि । अथवा बैसोनि स्मशानी । देवालयी शयनस्थानी । जेवू नये परियेसा ॥६१॥
aśvagajārūḍha hoūni | athavā baisoni smaśānī | devālayī śayanasthānī | jevū naye pariyesā ||61||
One should not eat while mounted on a horse or elephant, or sitting in a cremation ground, in a temple, or on the sleeping place.
A list of unsuitable locations for meals distinguishes ordinary daily acts from sacred or ominous spaces.
Choose a proper, settled place for your meals rather than eating on the move or in the wrong setting.
निषिद्ध जेवण करपात्रेसी । ओले नेसोनि आर्द्रकेशी । बहिर्हस्त बहिःकेशी । जेविता दोष परियेसी ॥६२॥
niṣiddha jevaṇa karapātresī | ole nesoni ārdrakeśī | bahirhasta bahiḥkeśī | jevitā doṣa pariyesī ||62||
It is forbidden to eat from an improper vessel, wearing wet clothes, with wet hair, or with the arm or hair unbound; eating in this way is at fault.
The etiquette list points toward eating in a settled, composed, properly groomed state rather than a hurried or dishevelled one.
Take a moment to settle yourself — hands washed, composed — before sitting down to eat.
यज्ञोपविताच्या उपवीतीसी । भोजन करावे परियेसी । जेविता आपुल्या संमुखेसी । पादरक्षा असू नये ॥६३॥
yajñopavitācyā upavītīsī | bhojana karāve pariyesī | jevitā āpulyā sammukhesī | pādarakṣā asū naye ||63||
One should eat with the sacred thread worn properly; while eating, footwear should not be placed in front of oneself.
Eating is treated with the same care as a rite — proper dress and a clean space in front of the eater.
Remove clutter and distractions from your immediate space before a meal.
ग्रास उदक कंद मूळ । इक्षुदंडादि केवळ । भक्षोनि पात्री ठेविता सकळ । उच्छिष्ट होय अवधारा ॥६४॥
grāsa udaka kamda mūḷa | ikṣudamḍādi kevaḷa | bhakṣoni pātrī ṭhevitā sakaḷa | ucchiṣṭa hoya avadhārā ||64||
A morsel, water, root, sugar-cane, and the like, once tasted and set back in the dish, all become impure leftovers.
The leftover-principle extends to any food item, not just the main meal — once partly consumed, it is treated as unfit to offer or share.
Don't put back a half-eaten item for someone else — finish it or set it aside for yourself.
भोजन करी स्नानाविणे । न करिता होम जेवी कवणे । अन्न नव्हे कृमि जाणे । म्हणे पराशर ऋषि ॥६५॥
bhojana karī snānāviṇe | na karitā homa jevī kavaṇe | anna navhe kṛmi jāṇe | mhaṇe parāśara ṛṣi ||65||
One who eats without having bathed and without performing the fire-offering — such food, says the sage Parāśara, is no different from eating worms.
A strong warning ties physical and ritual cleanliness to the worthiness of one's food — the daily bath and fire-rite were seen as prerequisites to a clean meal.
Wash up and settle your mind before eating rather than sitting down straight from work.
पर्णपृष्ठावरी रात्रीसी । दीपेविण जेविल्यासी । महादोष असे तयासी । कृमि भक्षिल्यासमान होय ॥६६॥
parṇapṛṣṭhāvarī rātrīsī | dīpeviṇa jevilyāsī | mahādoṣa ase tayāsī | kṛmi bhakṣilyāsamāna hoya ||66||
Eating on a leaf plate at night without a lamp lit is a great fault, equal to eating worms.
Light at mealtime was considered essential — eating unseen was treated as unclean regardless of the food itself.
Make sure you can actually see and attend to your food rather than eating in the dark or distracted.
दीप जाय भोजन करिता । पात्र धरावे स्मरोनि सविता । पुनरपि आणोनि लाविता । मग भोजन करावे ॥६७॥
dīpa jāya bhojana karitā | pātra dharāve smaroni savitā | punarapi āṇoni lāvitā | maga bhojana karāve ||67||
If the lamp goes out while eating, one should hold the plate, remember the sun, then relight the lamp and resume eating.
A practical remedy for the previous rule — the sun's inner light stands in when the physical lamp fails, keeping the meal from becoming unclean.
When your usual support fails, find a steadying substitute rather than abandoning the task.
पात्री असेल जितुके अन्न । तितुकेचि जेवावे परिपूर्ण । आणिक घेता दोष जाण । श्रीगुरु म्हणती ब्राह्मणासी ॥६८॥
pātrī asela jituke anna | titukeci jevāve paripūrṇa | āṇika ghetā doṣa jāṇa | śrīguru mhaṇatī brāhmaṇāsī ||68||
One should eat only as much food as is served on the plate; taking more is a fault, Shri Guru tells the brahmin.
This reiterates the discipline of taking only what one intends to finish, treating over-serving as its own subtle greed.
Serve yourself only what you truly intend to eat.
स्पर्शो नये जेविता केश । कथा सांगता महादोष । दिसू नये व्योम आकाश । अंधकारी जेवू नये ॥६९॥
sparśo naye jevitā keśa | kathā sāmgatā mahādoṣa | disū naye vyoma ākāśa | amdhakārī jevū naye ||69||
One should not touch one's hair while eating; telling stories while eating is a great fault; the sky should not be visible; one should not eat in darkness.
More rules narrow attention purely to the act of eating — no idle talk, no looking away, no darkness — eating is meant to be a contained, mindful act.
Eat without your phone, without stories, without distraction — just the meal.
न ठेविता शेष स्त्रियेसी । जेविता होय अत्यंत दोषी । ठेविले न जेविता स्त्रिया दोषी । महापातके घडती जाणा ॥१७०॥
na ṭhevitā śeṣa striyesī | jevitā hoya atyamta doṣī | ṭhevile na jevitā striyā doṣī | mahāpātake ghaḍatī jāṇā ||170||
Eating without setting aside a share for one's wife is a very great fault; if a share is set aside but she does not eat it, that too is at fault — great sins arise, know this.
Responsibility is placed on both partners — the husband to set food aside, the wife to actually eat it — framing the shared household meal as a mutual duty.
Make sure everyone in your household actually gets fed, and eats, not just that food is technically set aside.
शून्यदेवदेवालयी । देवस्थान आपुले गृही । जलसमीप संध्यासमयी । जेवू नये परियेसा ॥७१॥
śūnyadevadevālayī | devasthāna āpule gṛhī | jalasamīpa samdhyāsamayī | jevū naye pariyesā ||71||
One should not eat before an empty deity-shrine, in one's own home shrine, near water, or at the time of the twilight prayer.
Certain times and places are reserved purely for worship, kept separate from eating so each retains its own focus.
Keep certain times and spaces reserved for reflection alone, without mixing them with ordinary business like eating.
पात्रे ठेवूनि दगडावरी । जेवू नये अवधारी । अवलोकू नये मुखावरी । स्त्रीजनाचे परियेसी ॥७२॥
pātre ṭhevūni dagaḍāvarī | jevū naye avadhārī | avalokū naye mukhāvarī | strījanāce pariyesī ||72||
One should not eat with the plate set upon a stone; one should not gaze at a woman's face while eating.
Posture and gaze discipline at meals continue here, keeping attention narrowly on the food and the act itself.
Keep your eyes and attention on the task in front of you rather than letting them wander.
न करावे सहभोजन । जेविता होय उच्छिष्टभक्षण । कुलस्त्रियेसी करिता भोजन । निर्दोष असे परियेसा ॥७३॥
na karāve sahabhojana | jevitā hoya ucchiṣṭabhakṣaṇa | kulastriyesī karitā bhojana | nirdoṣa ase pariyesā ||73||
One should not eat together with outsiders; doing so amounts to eating leftovers; eating together with the women of one's own family is without fault.
A distinction is drawn between shared meals with strangers, treated as impure, and shared meals within the immediate family, treated as clean and proper.
Share meals openly and warmly with your own family without worrying over formality.
प्राशन शेष उदकासी । घेऊ नये उच्छिष्टासी । अगत्य घडे संधीसी । किंचित् सांडूनि घेईजे ॥७४॥
prāśana śeṣa udakāsī | gheū naye ucchiṣṭāsī | agatya ghaḍe samdhīsī | kimcit sāmḍūni gheīje ||74||
One should not drink the leftover water after eating; if it becomes truly necessary, one should first pour out a little before taking it.
A small hygienic and ritual habit — never take directly what has already been touched; take from a fresh portion instead.
When sharing a resource, take a fresh portion rather than what's already been used.
वस्त्रोदक घेतल्यासी । अपार दोष घडती तयासी । जन्म पावे श्वानयोनीसी । पडे मागुती नरकात ॥७५॥
vastrodaka ghetalyāsī | apāra doṣa ghaḍatī tayāsī | janma pāve śvānayonīsī | paḍe māgutī narakāta ||75||
Taking such water or cloth carelessly brings countless faults on a person; such a one is said to be born in the womb of a dog, and to fall again into a lower state.
An extreme warning-image dramatizes how seriously ritual carelessness with food and water was regarded.
Take small hygiene and care habits seriously; carelessness compounds over time.
शब्द होय उदक घेता । अथवा क्षीर घृत सेविता । आपोशनोदक प्राशिता । सुरापानसमान असे ॥७६॥
śabda hoya udaka ghetā | athavā kṣīra ghṛta sevitā | āpośanodaka prāśitā | surāpānasamāna ase ||76||
If a sound is made while taking water, or while consuming milk or ghee, or while drinking the ritual sipping-water, it is regarded as equal to drinking liquor.
Even a slurping sound at the wrong moment was treated with the gravity of a serious lapse — quietness and control were prized.
Practice quiet, careful table manners as a small daily discipline.
महाजळी रिघोनि । उदक घेती मुखांतुनी । अथवा जे घेती उभ्यानी । सुरापानसमान जाणा ॥७७॥
mahājaḷī righoni | udaka ghetī mukhāmtunī | athavā je ghetī ubhyānī | surāpānasamāna jāṇā ||77||
Entering a large body of water and drinking directly with the mouth, or drinking while standing, is regarded as equal to drinking liquor.
Undisciplined drinking postures are treated as morally equivalent to intoxication — control of the body extends even to how one takes water.
Sit down and pour your water properly rather than gulping it on the run.
द्वयहस्तांजुळि करूनि । घेऊ नये उदक ज्ञानी । घ्यावे एक हस्ते करूनि । वाम हस्त लावू नये ॥७८॥
dvayahastāmjuḷi karūni | gheū naye udaka jñānī | ghyāve eka haste karūni | vāma hasta lāvū naye ||78||
One should not take water cupping it in both hands together; one should take it with one hand; the left hand should not be used.
Another specific hand-use rule, part of a broader code that assigns the right hand to clean, respectful acts.
Notice the small habitual gestures you use for eating and drinking, and make them deliberate.
सभे बैसोनि एकासनी । अथवा आपुले हातुरणी । प्राशन करू नये पाणी । महादोष परियेसा ॥७९॥
sabhe baisoni ekāsanī | athavā āpule hāturaṇī | prāśana karū naye pāṇī | mahādoṣa pariyesā ||79||
One should not drink water while seated together in an assembly, nor from one's own cupped palm; this is a great fault.
Even drinking water has its proper occasion and manner, not to be done casually in a crowd.
Give even small acts, like drinking water, their own proper moment rather than doing them absent-mindedly in a group.
वाढावे भिन्न पात्रेसी । पाहू नये आणिक यातीसी । रजस्वला स्त्रियांसी । चांडाळ श्वान पाहू नये ॥१८०॥
vāḍhāve bhinna pātresī | pāhū naye āṇika yātīsī | rajasvalā striyāmsī | cāmḍāḷa śvāna pāhū naye ||180||
Food should be served in a separate vessel; one should not look at persons of another community while eating; a menstruating woman, an outcaste, or a dog should not be looked upon.
This reflects the strict caste-based purity conventions of the text's own era around who might be seen or served alongside whom while eating — a historical social code rather than a timeless spiritual teaching.
Hold on to the spirit of cleanliness and respect this passage aims for, not the exclusions themselves — extend basic dignity to everyone at your table.
दृष्टि पडे इतुकियासी । ध्वनि ऐकता कर्णासी । त्यजावे अन्न त्वरितेसी । जेविता दोष परियेसी ॥८१॥
dṛṣṭi paḍe itukiyāsī | dhvani aikatā karṇāsī | tyajāve anna tvaritesī | jevitā doṣa pariyesī ||81||
If the eye falls on these things, or the ear hears such a sound, one should abandon the food at once; this is reckoned a fault while eating.
The purity code extends from touch to mere sight and sound, reflecting the strict boundary-consciousness of the era's practice.
If something genuinely disturbs your peace of mind while eating, it's fine to pause and reset rather than push through distracted.
कलहशब्द कांडण दळण । ऐकता जेवू नये अन्न । अपशब्द स्पृष्टास्पृष्ट जाण । त्यजावे अन्न परियेसा ॥८२॥
kalahaśabda kāmḍaṇa daḷaṇa | aikatā jevū naye anna | apaśabda spṛṣṭāspṛṣṭa jāṇa | tyajāve anna pariyesā ||82||
On hearing sounds of quarrel, or the pounding and grinding of grain, one should not eat; on hearing foul language, or amid confusion over what is touched and untouched, one should abandon the food.
Mealtime is treated as needing a peaceful, orderly setting; discord or crude speech nearby is enough to disqualify the meal.
Choose a calm setting for your meals, and step away from arguments rather than eating through them.
नेणते लोक पंक्तीसी । घेऊ नये परियेसी । अगत्य घडे संधीसी । उदके भस्मे करा पृथक ॥८३॥
neṇate loka pamktīsī | gheū naye pariyesī | agatya ghaḍe samdhīsī | udake bhasme karā pṛthaka ||83||
Untrained or uninitiated people should not be seated in the same eating-row; if it becomes unavoidable, mark a separate boundary with water or ash.
This reflects the historical seating conventions of communal dining in the text's era rather than a timeless teaching.
Whatever your own customs of company at meals, extend basic courtesy and welcome to whoever shares your table.
अथवा स्तंभ असेल मध्य । द्वारमार्ग असेल शुद्ध । उदके वेष्टिता आपुले परिघ । दोष नाही परियेसा ॥८४॥
athavā stambha asela madhya | dvāramārga asela śuddha | udake veṣṭitā āpule parigha | doṣa nāhī pariyesā ||84||
Or if there is a pillar in the middle of the row, or the doorway is unobstructed, there is no fault in simply encircling one's own space with water.
A practical accommodation resolves the previous concern without further complication.
When a rigid rule creates friction, look for the simple, practical accommodation that honors its spirit.
कृष्ण वस्त्र नेसोनि आपण । जेविता दोष अपार जाण । स्त्रीजन वाढिती कांसेविण । उच्छिष्टसमान परियेसा ॥८५॥
kṛṣṇa vastra nesoni āpaṇa | jevitā doṣa apāra jāṇa | strījana vāḍhitī kāmseviṇa | ucchiṣṭasamāna pariyesā ||85||
Eating while wearing black clothing brings great fault; if women serve food without properly tying their waist-cloth, it is regarded like eating leftovers.
Rules of proper dress at mealtime extend the expectation of decorum to those who serve as well as those who eat.
Dress and present yourself with a little care even for an ordinary home meal.
ऐसा विचार करूनि मनी । करावे भोजन द्विजजनी । विकिरिद विलोहित म्हणोनि । अभिमंत्रावे शेष अन्न ॥८६॥
aisā vicāra karūni manī | karāve bhojana dvijajanī | vikirida vilohita mhaṇoni | abhimamtrāve śeṣa anna ||86||
Having reflected thus, the twice-born should eat; reciting the closing words, one should consecrate the leftover food.
The long list of eating rules closes by returning to ritual consecration — even the scraps left on the plate are given a final blessing rather than discarded thoughtlessly.
Close out a task properly, with a final moment of care, rather than just walking away when you're done.
विकिरीदे इति मंत्रासी । म्हणावा अघोर ऋषि । रुद्रदेवता परियेसी । अन्नाभिमंत्रणे विनियोग ॥८७॥
vikirīde iti mamtrāsī | mhaṇāvā aghora ṛṣi | rudradevatā pariyesī | annābhimamtraṇe viniyoga ||87||
For that closing mantra, one should invoke the sage Aghora; its deity is Rudra; its application is the consecration of food.
The technical ritual attribution — sage and deity — is given for the mantra just mentioned, in keeping with the manual's careful, precise style.
Learn the reasoning behind a practice you follow, not just its outward form.
ऐसा मंत्र जपोन । हाती घ्यावे शेषान्न । यमाच्या नावे बळी घालोन । उत्तरापोशन मग घ्यावे ॥८८॥
aisā mamtra japona | hātī ghyāve śeṣānna | yamācyā nāve baḷī ghālona | uttarāpośana maga ghyāve ||88||
Having recited this mantra, one should take the leftover food in hand, offer a portion in the name of Yama, then take the closing sip of water.
Even the leftover portion becomes an offering — here dedicated to the lord of death — turning the very end of the meal into an act of remembrance and humility.
End your meal with a small moment of gratitude rather than just rising and leaving.
उच्छिष्ट सर्व पात्रीचे । घेऊनि हाती म्हणा वाचे । रौरवमंत्र असे त्याचे । पात्राजवळी ठेवावे ॥८९॥
ucchiṣṭa sarva pātrīce | gheūni hātī mhaṇā vāce | rauravamamtra ase tyāce | pātrājavaḷī ṭhevāve ||89||
Taking all the remaining food from the plate in hand, one should recite the closing mantra and set it down near the plate.
The closing ritual of the meal names the final mantra recited over what remains, giving structure to how a meal properly ends.
Give your own closing ritual, whatever it is, its proper place in your routine.
उठोनि जावे प्रक्षालनासी । गंडूष करोनि मग हस्त स्पर्शी । न करित गंडूष प्रक्षाली हस्तासी । आत्मघातकी तोचि जाणा ॥१९०॥
uṭhoni jāve prakṣālanāsī | gamḍūṣa karoni maga hasta sparśī | na karita gamḍūṣa prakṣālī hastāsī | ātmaghātakī toci jāṇā ||190||
One should rise and go to wash; rinse the mouth first, then touch the hands with water; one who washes the hands without first rinsing the mouth is regarded as harming himself.
Washing in the correct sequence is prescribed, treating a reversed order as self-harm — even cleanup has a right way to be done.
Follow through on cleanup in the right order rather than doing it carelessly.
मुख प्रक्षाळिता परियेसी । मध्यमांगुली दात घासी । तर्जनी अंगुष्ठे महादोषी । रौरव नरकी परियेसा ॥९१॥
mukha prakṣāḷitā pariyesī | madhyamāmgulī dāta ghāsī | tarjanī amguṣṭhe mahādoṣī | raurava narakī pariyesā ||91||
While washing the mouth, one should clean the teeth with the middle finger; doing so with the forefinger and thumb is a great fault.
A very specific bodily-gesture rule, framed with an extreme consequence to impress its seriousness on the listener.
Pay attention to the small, correct way of doing routine tasks, even when no one is watching.
बरवे हस्तप्रक्षालन । करावे दंतशोधन । हातीचे पवित्र सोडून । टाकावे नैऋत्य दिशे ॥९२॥
barave hastaprakṣālana | karāve damtaśodhana | hātīce pavitra soḍūna | ṭākāve naiṛtya diśe ||92||
Having washed the hands thoroughly, one should clean the teeth; then the purifying grass held in hand should be released, cast toward the southwest.
The washing sequence closes with proper disposal of the ritual grass used earlier — each object in the rite has its own proper end.
Put things away properly when you finish a task, rather than leaving loose ends.
अंगुष्ठमात्र पुरुषा । म्हणावा मंत्र परियेसा । हस्त घासोनि चक्षुषा । उदक लावावे अवधारा ॥९३॥
amguṣṭhamātra puruṣā | mhaṇāvā mamtra pariyesā | hasta ghāsoni cakṣuṣā | udaka lāvāve avadhārā ||93||
One should recite a short mantra, brief as a thumb's length; having rubbed the hands together, one should touch water to the eyes.
A small closing gesture — touching water to the eyes with a brief recitation — completes the meal's ritual frame.
Give even the smallest closing gestures of your routine a moment of intention.
ऐसा जरी न म्हणा मंत्र । चक्षुरोग होय त्वरित । या कारणे करा निश्चित हस्तोदके आरोग्यता ॥९४॥
aisā jarī na mhaṇā mamtra | cakṣuroga hoya tvarita | yā kāraṇe karā niścita hastodake ārogyatā ||94||
If this mantra is not recited, eye disease follows quickly; for this reason, be certain that water on the hands brings good health.
The small hygienic gesture of touching water to the eyes is tied to a promise of health, framing hygiene as care worth taking seriously.
Treat small hygiene habits, like washing your hands and face, as genuinely protective, not just formality.
द्विराचमन करोनि । आयंगौ मंत्र म्हणोनि । दुपदादिवेन्मुमुचा म्हणोनि । पादप्रक्षालन करावे ॥९५॥
dvirācamana karoni | āyamgau mamtra mhaṇoni | dupadādivenmumucā mhaṇoni | pādaprakṣālana karāve ||95||
Having performed the sipping-purification twice while reciting the proper mantras, one should then wash the feet.
The closing purification extends from mouth and eyes down to the feet, completing a head-to-foot cleansing after the meal.
Complete a routine fully, attending to every part of it, not just the parts that feel important.
ऐसा तुम्ही मंत्र जपता । भोजनठायी जाऊनि बैसता । द्विराचमन करूनि निगुता । नासिकास्पर्श मग करावा ॥९६॥
aisā tumhī mamtra japatā | bhojanaṭhāyī jāūni baisatā | dvirācamana karūni nigutā | nāsikāsparśa maga karāvā ||96||
Reciting this mantra as you go and take your seat for the meal, having carefully performed the double sipping, one should then touch the nose.
The same careful purification sequence used before a meal is described again, showing equal care is taken both before and after eating.
Start and end important routines with the same level of care, not just one or the other.
स्मरावे मग अगस्त्यासी । कुंभकर्ण वडवाग्नीसी । वृकोदर शनैश्चरासी । इल्वल वातापि जीर्य म्हणावे ॥९७॥
smarāve maga agastyāsī | kumbhakarṇa vaḍavāgnīsī | vṛkodara śanaiścarāsī | ilvala vātāpi jīrya mhaṇāve ||97||
One should then remember Agastya, Kumbhakarṇa, the submarine fire, Vṛkodara, Śanaiścara, Ilvala and Vātāpi, saying 'may this be digested.'
Legendary figures famed for enormous appetite or digestive power — Agastya who drank the ocean, the great eater Vṛkodara — are invoked as a blessing for one's own digestion, folk wisdom dressed as myth.
Bring a little gratitude and good humor to something as ordinary as digestion.
हस्त दाखवावे अग्निसी । आणिक सांगेन परियेसी । बंधुवर्ग असती जयासी । पुसू नये वस्त्रे कर ॥९८॥
hasta dākhavāve agnisī | āṇika sāmgena pariyesī | bamdhuvarga asatī jayāsī | pusū naye vastre kara ||98||
The hand should be shown, warmed, near the fire; and I will tell you more: one who has kinsmen present should not wipe the hands on their clothes.
A small courtesy rule — even after washing, don't use another's cloth to dry your hands, respecting their belongings as much as the ritual.
Don't casually use someone else's things for your own convenience, even in small ways.
मग स्मरावे श्रीगुरूसी । आणिक स्मरावे कुळदेवतेसी । येणेपरी विधीसी । भोजन करावे द्विजोत्तमे ॥९९॥
maga smarāve śrīgurūsī | āṇika smarāve kuḷadevatesī | yeṇeparī vidhīsī | bhojana karāve dvijottame ||99||
Then one should remember Shri Guru, and also remember the family deity; in this way, with due observance, the twice-born should take the meal.
The entire elaborate code of eating closes by returning to its true center — remembering the guru and one's own family deity, so that ritual detail never eclipses devotion.
Let the small details of a discipline serve your devotion, not replace it — end with gratitude to whoever guides you.
विप्र विनवी श्रीगुरूसी । भोजनप्रकार सांगितला आम्हासी । विधिनिषिद्ध अन्नै कैसी । निरोपावी दातारा ॥२००॥
vipra vinavī śrīgurūsī | bhojanaprakāra sāmgitalā āmhāsī | vidhiniṣiddha annai kaisī | niropāvī dātārā ||200||
The brahmin entreats Shri Guru: 'You have told us the manner of eating; now please instruct us which foods are proper and which are forbidden, O giver.'
Having absorbed the etiquette of eating, the disciple now asks the deeper question of which foods themselves are fit to eat — the teaching moves from manner to substance.
After mastering the form of a practice, ask what its actual substance should be.
विप्रवचन ऐकोनि । निरोपिती श्रीगुरु संतोषोनि । ऐक ब्राह्मणा म्हणोनि । अतिप्रेमे निरोपिती ॥१॥
vipravacana aikoni | niropitī śrīguru samtoṣoni | aika brāhmaṇā mhaṇoni | atipreme niropitī ||1||
Hearing the brahmin's words, Shri Guru, pleased, instructs him, saying 'Listen, O brahmin,' with great affection.
The guru's warm, patient willingness to keep teaching in ever finer detail marks the affection that makes such exhaustive instruction bearable and welcome.
Teach patiently and warmly, even when someone asks for more detail than seems necessary.
म्हणे सरस्वती गंगाधरु । ब्राह्मणपणाचा आचारु । निरोपिला गुरुनाथे समग्रु । म्हणोनि विनवी संतोषे ॥२॥
mhaṇe sarasvatī gamgādharu | brāhmaṇapaṇācā ācāru | niropilā gurunāthe samagru | mhaṇoni vinavī samtoṣe ||2||
Sarasvatī Gaṅgādhar says: 'The Guru-lord has now imparted the whole conduct proper to a brahmin,' and thus [the narrator] entreats with joy.
The author-narrator steps forward briefly, marking that the guru has now completed the entire code of proper conduct — a structural signpost in the text.
Recognize and honor a body of teaching when it has been completed, before moving to what comes next.
वैश्वदेवाविणे अन्न । अथवा गणान्न परिपुर्ण । घातले असेल बहु लवण । बहुमिश्रितान्न जेऊ नये ॥३॥
vaiśvadevāviṇe anna | athavā gaṇānna paripurṇa | ghātale asela bahu lavaṇa | bahumiśritānna jeū naye ||3||
Food not offered in the household fire-rite, or food taken straight from the common pot, or food with excess salt, or heavily mixed food — one should not eat.
The forbidden-foods list begins by emphasizing that food should first be offered before being eaten, and prepared with care — eating is always downstream of an offering.
Give thanks before you eat, and prepare food with care rather than carelessly.
लशुन गाजर कंद मुळा । वृंताक श्वेत जो असे भोपळा । छत्राकार शाखा सकळा । वर्जाव्या तुम्ही परियेसा ॥४॥
laśuna gājara kamda muḷā | vṛmtāka śveta jo ase bhopaḷā | chatrākāra śākhā sakaḷā | varjāvyā tumhī pariyesā ||4||
Garlic, carrot, root vegetables, radish, eggplant, white gourd, and mushroom-like growths — all these should be avoided.
A list of specific foods traditionally avoided by ascetically-minded households of the era, reflecting an old dietary code rather than a universal rule.
Whatever your own dietary choices, make them a matter of conscious intention rather than habit.
धेनुअजामहिषीक्षीर । प्रसूतीचे । वर्जावे । दशरात्र । नूतनोदक पर्जन्य पूर । त्रिरात्रीचे वर्जावे ॥५॥
dhenuajāmahiṣīkṣīra | prasūtīce | varjāve | daśarātra | nūtanodaka parjanya pūra | trirātrīce varjāve ||5||
The milk of a cow, goat, or buffalo just after giving birth should be avoided for ten nights; fresh water from a flood or heavy rain should be avoided for three nights.
Practical caution is dressed as ritual rule — waiting before consuming milk from a newly delivered animal, or drinking flood water, protected health long before germ theory existed.
Let a little time pass before trusting something new or unsettled, whether food, water, or a fresh situation.
कूष्मांड डोरली पडवळेसी । मुळा बेल आवळेसी । न भक्षावे प्रतिपदेसी । भक्षिता पाप परियेसा ॥६॥
kūṣmāmḍa ḍoralī paḍavaḷesī | muḷā bela āvaḷesī | na bhakṣāve pratipadesī | bhakṣitā pāpa pariyesā ||6||
Ash-gourd, dorli-gourd, snake-gourd, radish, bel-fruit, and gooseberry should not be eaten on the first day of the lunar fortnight; eating them then is reckoned a fault.
The dietary calendar continues, tying specific foods to specific days as part of the era's elaborate food-and-time discipline.
Build small, deliberate pauses into your eating habits rather than eating the same way every day without thought.
स्वर्गापवर्ग चाड ज्यासी । अष्टमी वर्जावी औदुंबरासी । अमलकफळ रात्रीसी । वर्जावे भानुवासर सप्तमी ॥७॥
svargāpavarga cāḍa jyāsī | aṣṭamī varjāvī audumbarāsī | amalakaphaḷa rātrīsī | varjāve bhānuvāsara saptamī ||7||
For one who desires heaven and liberation, the fig fruit should be avoided on the eighth lunar day; the gooseberry fruit should be avoided at night, and avoided on the seventh day if it falls on a Sunday.
Particular foods continue to be linked to particular days, part of a disciplined, attentive relationship with time and appetite.
Let your larger goals, not just convenience, shape small daily choices like what and when you eat.
बेलफळ वर्ज शुक्रवारी । शमीफळ मंदवारी । भक्षिता लक्ष्मी जाय दुरी । वर्जावे ते दिवसी परियेस ॥८॥
belaphaḷa varja śukravārī | śamīphaḷa mamdavārī | bhakṣitā lakṣmī jāya durī | varjāve te divasī pariyesa ||8||
The bel fruit should be avoided on Friday, the shami fruit on Saturday; eating them is said to drive fortune far away; these should be avoided on those days.
The day-linked food avoidances of the era's dietary calendar continue here.
Notice patterns in your own habits, and be willing to break a habit that isn't serving you, on any day.
धात्रीफळ रात्रीसी । भक्षिता हानि प्रज्ञेसी । नाश करी वीर्यासी । धात्रीफळ वर्जावे ॥९॥
dhātrīphaḷa rātrīsī | bhakṣitā hāni prajñesī | nāśa karī vīryāsī | dhātrīphaḷa varjāve ||9||
The gooseberry fruit eaten at night harms the intellect and destroys vitality; the gooseberry fruit should therefore be avoided at night.
This repeats and reinforces the earlier warning about eating gooseberry at night, underscoring how seriously the text takes even minor dietary timing.
If something consistently doesn't sit well with you at a certain time, honor that pattern rather than ignoring it.
नख केश पडिलिया अन्ना । स्पर्श केलिया मार्जार जाणा । वायस घारी कुक्कुट जाणा । स्पर्श केलिया अन्न त्यजावे ॥२१०॥
nakha keśa paḍiliyā annā | sparśa keliyā mārjāra jāṇā | vāyasa ghārī kukkuṭa jāṇā | sparśa keliyā anna tyajāve ||210||
If nails or hair fall into the food, or it is touched by a cat, a crow, a kite, or a rooster, that food should be discarded.
A straightforward hygiene rule dressed in ritual language — contamination by animals or foreign matter disqualifies food from being eaten.
Trust your basic hygiene instincts; when food is visibly contaminated, let it go rather than eating it anyway.
धेनुमूषक मुखस्पर्शे । अथवा स्पर्शे अधःकेशे । त्यजावे अन्न भरवसे । असेल उच्छिष्ट अन्नाजवळी ॥११॥
dhenumūṣaka mukhasparśe | athavā sparśe adhaḥkeśe | tyajāve anna bharavase | asela ucchiṣṭa annājavaḷī ||11||
If a cow or mouse touches it with its mouth, or it is touched by something unclean, one should confidently discard the food if it lies near already-eaten leftovers.
The hygiene-and-purity guidance around what disqualifies food continues, extending common-sense caution into ritual terms.
When in doubt about whether food is still good, err on the side of discarding it.
एक हाती वाढले अन्न । शिळे असेल शीत जाण । वर्जावे तुम्ही ब्राह्मण । निषिद्ध बोलिले आचार्य ॥१२॥
eka hātī vāḍhale anna | śiḷe asela śīta jāṇa | varjāve tumhī brāhmaṇa | niṣiddha bolile ācārya ||12||
Food that has become stale or cold should be avoided by brahmins; this the teachers have declared forbidden.
A plain rule against eating stale, cold leftovers, framed as received wisdom from the teachers of dharma.
Eat fresh food when you can, and don't force yourself to finish something that has gone stale.
घृततैलमिश्रित । शिळे अन्न अपवित्र । तळिले असेल सर्वत्र । शिळे नव्हे सर्वथा ॥१३॥
ghṛtatailamiśrita | śiḷe anna apavitra | taḷile asela sarvatra | śiḷe navhe sarvathā ||13||
Food mixed with ghee or oil is not considered stale even if kept; anything that has been fried remains acceptable everywhere; it is never reckoned stale.
An exception to the previous stale-food rule — fat and frying were understood to preserve food, so such items were exempt from the staleness taboo.
Learn the exceptions to your own rules, not just the rules themselves — not every situation calls for the same caution.
विप्र विकिती गोरस । घृत क्षीर परियेस । घेता घडती महादोष । साक्षात वह्निपक्व जेवू नये ॥१४॥
vipra vikitī gorasa | ghṛta kṣīra pariyesa | ghetā ghaḍatī mahādoṣa | sākṣāta vahnipakva jevū naye ||14||
If brahmins sell dairy products, ghee and milk, taking them in trade brings great fault; food actually cooked with such fire-prepared dairy should not be eaten.
This reflects an old prohibition against turning sacred foodstuffs like ghee and milk into a commercial commodity, treating that trade itself as tainting the food.
Be mindful of what you commercialize; not everything sacred to you should be sold casually.
माषान्नाचे वटक देखा । शिळे न होती कधी ऐका । जैसे लाह्यापीठ देखा । शिळे नव्हे परियेसा ॥१५॥
māṣānnāce vaṭaka dekhā | śiḷe na hotī kadhī aikā | jaise lāhyāpīṭha dekhā | śiḷe navhe pariyesā ||15||
Cakes made of black-gram flour never become stale, and puffed-rice flour, too, never becomes stale.
The list of exceptions to the staleness rule continues, this time based on the particular grain or preparation used.
Learn which of your own habits or provisions hold up well over time, and rely on those in a pinch.
कंदमूळादि सुरान्न । जवांचे असेल परमान्न । गुडयुक्त असेल अन्न । शिळे नव्हे परियेसा ॥१६॥
kamdamūḷādi surānna | javāmce asela paramānna | guḍayukta asela anna | śiḷe navhe pariyesā ||16||
Preparations of roots and tubers, a sweet dish made of barley, or food mixed with jaggery, do not become stale.
This rounds out the list of foods exempt from the staleness taboo, closing this small excursus on food preservation.
Recognize which of your resources are naturally durable and which need to be used quickly.
ऐशा शिळ्या अन्नासी । दोष नाही परियेसी । विटाळ होता महादोषी । शुचि स्थानी असावे ॥१७॥
aiśā śiḷyā annāsī | doṣa nāhī pariyesī | viṭāḷa hotā mahādoṣī | śuci sthānī asāve ||17||
In such exempted foods there is no fault; but if there has been ritual impurity, one should be in a clean state and place before eating.
The section closes by reminding that personal purity, more than the food's freshness, is the deeper concern behind all these rules.
Attend to your own inner readiness before an important act, not just the outward conditions.
भोजन केलिया नंतर । तांबूल घ्यावे परिकर । क्रमुकचूर्ण पर्ण सत्वर । घ्यावे द्यावे ब्राह्मणी ॥१८॥
bhojana keliyā namtara | tāmbūla ghyāve parikara | kramukacūrṇa parṇa satvara | ghyāve dyāve brāhmaṇī ||18||
After eating, one should take betel-leaf; areca-nut powder and leaf should be taken promptly, and offered to fellow brahmins.
The after-meal custom of chewing betel is framed as something to be shared with others present, not just consumed alone.
Share a small after-meal courtesy with those around you rather than keeping it just for yourself.
तिळमिश्रित भक्ष्यासी । जेवु नये रात्रीसी । जेविता होय महादोषी । श्रीगुरु म्हणती ब्राह्मणाते ॥१९॥
tiḷamiśrita bhakṣyāsī | jevu naye rātrīsī | jevitā hoya mahādoṣī | śrīguru mhaṇatī brāhmaṇāte ||19||
One should not eat sesame-mixed food at night; eating it then is a great fault, Shri Guru tells the brahmin.
The dietary-timing rules continue, singling out sesame specifically as unsuitable after dark.
Know which of your habits fit the daytime and which don't, and respect that boundary.
क्रमुक एक सुखारोग्य । द्वय देता निश्चळ आरोग्य । त्रीणि द्यावी महा भाग्य । चतुर्थे दुःख होय जाणा ॥२२०॥
kramuka eka sukhārogya | dvaya detā niścaḷa ārogya | trīṇi dyāvī mahā bhāgya | caturthe duḥkha hoya jāṇā ||220||
One areca-nut brings ease and health; two bestow steady health; three bring great fortune; a fourth, know this, brings sorrow.
A folk-teaching about the quantity of areca-nut offered as a courtesy, treating even a small hospitality gesture as governed by careful measure.
In hospitality, offer with measure and thought rather than excess.
पाच क्रमुक देता जरी । आयुष्य प्रज्ञा वाढे भारी । देऊ नये सहा सुपारी । मरण सांगे परियेसा ॥२१॥
pāca kramuka detā jarī | āyuṣya prajñā vāḍhe bhārī | deū naye sahā supārī | maraṇa sāmge pariyesā ||21||
If five areca-nuts are given, longevity and wisdom increase greatly; one should not give six, for that is said to foretell death.
The same folk numerology about the quantity of areca-nut given as a gift continues, a small superstition preserved within the text's etiquette code.
Notice how a simple gesture of generosity can be shaped by care and custom, even down to small numbers.
पर्ण अग्र मूल न काढी जरी । व्याधि संभवे अवधारी । अग्र भक्षिता पाप भारी । चूर्णपर्णे आयुष्य क्षीण ॥२२॥
parṇa agra mūla na kāḍhī jarī | vyādhi sambhave avadhārī | agra bhakṣitā pāpa bhārī | cūrṇaparṇe āyuṣya kṣīṇa ||22||
If the tip and stem of the betel-leaf are not removed, illness may follow; eating the tip is a great fault; leaf taken as powder shortens life.
The detailed etiquette of betel preparation continues, treating even this small recreational custom as requiring careful handling.
Prepare even a small daily pleasure with proper care rather than taking it carelessly.
पर्णपृष्ठी बुद्धिनाश । द्विपर्ण खाता महादोष । ऐश्वर्याचा होय विनाश । ऋषिसंमत असे जाणा ॥२३॥
parṇapṛṣṭhī buddhināśa | dviparṇa khātā mahādoṣa | aiśvaryācā hoya vināśa | ṛṣisammata ase jāṇā ||23||
Chewing the underside of the leaf destroys the intellect; eating two leaves together is a great fault, bringing ruin to one's prosperity — so the sages agree.
The elaborate betel-leaf etiquette continues, again framing a small daily habit as consequential when done carelessly.
Even small recreational habits deserve some mindfulness in how you do them.
पर्णैविण क्रमुक मुखी । घालिता आपण होय असुखी । सप्त जन्म दरिद्री दुःखी । अज्ञानी होय अंतकाळी ॥२४॥
parṇaiviṇa kramuka mukhī | ghālitā āpaṇa hoya asukhī | sapta janma daridrī duḥkhī | ajñānī hoya amtakāḷī ||24||
Putting the areca-nut in the mouth without the leaf brings unhappiness; for seven lifetimes one becomes poor and sorrowful, and ignorant at the hour of death.
The betel-nut etiquette closes with its most severe warning, again using extreme future consequence to press the point of careful practice.
Do things in their complete, proper form rather than a shortcut version, if you value them at all.
यतीश्वरादिब्रह्मचारी । रजस्वला स्त्री विधवा जरी । तांबूल भक्षिता मांसपरी । रस त्याचा सुरापानसम ॥२५॥
yatīśvarādibrahmacārī | rajasvalā strī vidhavā jarī | tāmbūla bhakṣitā māmsaparī | rasa tyācā surāpānasama ||25||
For an ascetic, a celibate student, a menstruating woman, or a widow, eating betel is regarded like eating meat; its taste is considered equal to drinking liquor.
This reflects a historical restriction placing betel-chewing off-limits for those in specific renunciate or ritually-restricted states, part of the text's era-bound purity code.
Recognize that certain pleasures may not suit every season of your life, and be willing to set them aside when they don't.
तांबूल भक्षिल्यानंतर । सायंसंध्या करावी विप्रे । सूर्यअर्धमंडळ उतरे । अर्घ्यै द्यावी परियेसा ॥२६॥
tāmbūla bhakṣilyānamtara | sāyamsamdhyā karāvī vipre | sūryaardhamamḍaḷa utare | arghyai dyāvī pariyesā ||26||
After eating betel, the twice-born should perform the evening twilight-prayer; as the sun's disc sinks halfway, one should offer the water-oblation.
The narrative moves from meal etiquette into the evening prayer rite, marking sunset as the natural cue for the day's closing worship.
Let a natural marker in your day, like sunset, be your cue to pause for reflection.
बैसोनि द्यावी अर्घ्यै तिन्ही । चारी द्यावी काळ क्रमूनि । गायत्री मंत्र जपूनि । इमंमेवरुण म्हणावा ॥२७॥
baisoni dyāvī arghyai tinhī | cārī dyāvī kāḷa kramūni | gāyatrī mamtra japūni | imammevaruṇa mhaṇāvā ||27||
Sitting, one should offer the water-oblation three times, or four times as time permits; reciting the Gāyatrī mantra, one should complete the closing invocation.
The precise number and recitation for the evening water-offering is given, part of the meticulous liturgical detail of the twilight rite.
Give your evening reflection a consistent, repeatable structure so it becomes a steady habit.
गोत्रप्रवर उच्चारोन । मग करावे औपासन । करावे निशि भोजन । क्षीरमिश्रित मुख्य असे ॥२८॥
gotrapravara uccārona | maga karāve aupāsana | karāve niśi bhojana | kṣīramiśrita mukhya ase ||28||
Having recited one's lineage and forebears, one should then perform the household fire-rite; the night meal should be eaten, with milk-mixed food as the principal dish.
The evening's ritual sequence continues into the fire-rite and the simple night meal that follows it.
Close your evening routine with something simple and nourishing rather than something elaborate.
रात्री करिता परिसिंचना । ऋतंत्वा सत्यं मंत्र म्हणा । येणे विधी करा भोजना । पूर्वी जैसे बोलिले असे ॥२९॥
rātrī karitā parisimcanā | ṛtamtvā satyam mamtra mhaṇā | yeṇe vidhī karā bhojanā | pūrvī jaise bolile ase ||29||
At night, while performing the sprinkling-rite, one should recite the appointed mantra; in this way the meal should be taken, just as previously described.
This closes the loop back to the earlier detailed meal etiquette, confirming that the night meal follows the same careful pattern already taught.
Apply the same discipline to your evening routine that you apply earlier in the day.
भोजन झालियानंतर । वेदाभ्यास एक प्रहर । मग जावे शयनावर । येणे विधी आचरावे ॥२३०॥
bhojana jhāliyānamtara | vedābhyāsa eka prahara | maga jāve śayanāvara | yeṇe vidhī ācarāve ||230||
After the meal is finished, one should study the sacred text for about three hours; then one should go to sleep; this practice should be followed.
Study is placed between the evening meal and sleep, treating learning as the natural bridge from the day's activity into rest.
Read or reflect for a while after your evening meal before going to sleep, rather than sleeping right after eating.
शयन करावयाचे विधान । सांगेन ऐका विद्वज्जन । पराशर सांगे वचन । तेचि विधान सांगतसे ॥३१॥
śayana karāvayāce vidhāna | sāmgena aikā vidvajjana | parāśara sāmge vacana | teci vidhāna sāmgatase ||31||
I will tell you the rule for sleeping, listen O learned ones; Parāśara has stated this teaching, and the same teaching is now recounted.
A new section of the manual is signaled, moving from eating and evening prayer into the etiquette of sleep itself.
Give your sleep routine the same deliberate attention you give to eating and prayer.
खट्वा असावी निर्मळ जाण । वर्जावी त्रिपाद भिन्न दूषण । औदुंबर अश्वत्थ पिंपरी निर्गुण । न करावी खट्वा परियेसा ॥३२॥
khaṭvā asāvī nirmaḷa jāṇa | varjāvī tripāda bhinna dūṣaṇa | audumbara aśvattha pimparī nirguṇa | na karāvī khaṭvā pariyesā ||32||
The cot should be kept clean; a cot with only three legs should be avoided as a flaw; the wood of the udumbara, aśvattha, or pimparī trees should not be used to make a cot.
Detailed instructions begin about what makes a proper cot for sleeping, treating even furniture-making as governed by careful rules.
Choose your sleeping environment with a little care and intention, not indifference.
निषिद्ध जांबूळ काष्ठाची । वर्जावी प्रेतगजदंताची । भिन्नकाष्ठ त्यजावी साची । बरवी असावी खट्वा देखा ॥३३॥
niṣiddha jāmbūḷa kāṣṭhācī | varjāvī pretagajadamtācī | bhinnakāṣṭha tyajāvī sācī | baravī asāvī khaṭvā dekhā ||33||
Jāmbūl wood is forbidden for the cot; a cot made from cremation-ground wood or from elephant-tusk should be avoided; mismatched wood should be avoided; the cot should be well and properly made.
The detailed material specifications for the cot continue, all pointing toward using clean, harmonious materials for something as intimate as one's bed.
Make sure the things you rest on each day, literally or figuratively, are well-made and cared for.
सुमुहूर्तै विणावी खट्वा देखा । धनिष्ठा भरणी मृगशीर्षी दूषका । वार सांगेन विशेखा । शूभाशुभफळ असे ॥३४॥
sumuhūrtai viṇāvī khaṭvā dekhā | dhaniṣṭhā bharaṇī mṛgaśīrṣī dūṣakā | vāra sāmgena viśekhā | śūbhāśubhaphaḷa ase ||34||
The cot should be strung at a well-chosen time; certain days bring flaw; I will tell of the days of the week, each carrying its own favorable or unfavorable result.
Timing the making of one's bed to specific calendar days is part of the text's broader habit of pairing ordinary tasks with auspicious timing.
When starting something you'll rely on daily, choose an unhurried, settled moment to begin it rather than a rushed one.
आदित्यवारी लाभ देखा । चंद्रवारी महामुखा । भौमवारी पाविजे दुःखा । बुधवारी सांगे महापीडा ॥३५॥
ādityavārī lābha dekhā | camdravārī mahāmukhā | bhaumavārī pāvije duḥkhā | budhavārī sāmge mahāpīḍā ||35||
Made on Sunday it brings gain; on Monday, great joy; on Tuesday one meets sorrow; on Wednesday it brings great affliction.
Results are assigned to each day of the week for the cot-making task, part of this section's blend of household craft and old calendar lore.
Rather than fixating on which day is 'lucky,' choose a day when you can give the task real, unhurried attention.
गुरुवारी विणल्यासी । सहा पुत्र होती त्यासी । शुक्रवारी अतिविशेषी । मृत्यु पावे मंदवारी ॥३६॥
guruvārī viṇalyāsī | sahā putra hotī tyāsī | śukravārī ativiśeṣī | mṛtyu pāve mamdavārī ||36||
If strung on Thursday, one is said to have six sons; on Friday it is especially favorable; on Saturday it is said to bring death.
The day-by-day results for cot-making conclude here, continuing the blend of household craft and old calendar lore.
Hold folk beliefs about luck lightly, and focus instead on doing the task itself well.
स्वगृही शयन पूर्वशिरेंसी । श्वशुरालयी दक्षिणेसी । प्रवासकाळी पश्चिमेसी । शयन करावे परियेसा ॥३७॥
svagṛhī śayana pūrvaśiremsī | śvaśurālayī dakṣiṇesī | pravāsakāḷī paścimesī | śayana karāve pariyesā ||37||
At one's own home, one should sleep with the head toward the east; at the in-laws' house, toward the south; while travelling, toward the west.
Directional guidance for sleeping is given depending on where one is, treating even orientation in sleep as worth attending to.
Adapt your routines sensibly to wherever you find yourself, rather than insisting on one fixed way everywhere.
सदा निषिद्ध उत्तर दिशा । वर्जले फळ सांगितली दिशा । विप्रे आचरावा ऐसा । ऋषिमार्ग शुभाचार ॥३८॥
sadā niṣiddha uttara diśā | varjale phaḷa sāmgitalī diśā | vipre ācarāvā aisā | ṛṣimārga śubhācāra ||38||
Sleeping with the head toward the north is always forbidden; the results for each direction have been given; a brahmin should follow this good practice, the path of the sages.
The directional-sleep teaching closes, framed as part of the venerable practice handed down by the sages.
Follow the wisdom you've been taught even in small habitual matters, once you understand its reasoning.
पूर्ण कुंभ ठेऊनि उशी । मंगळ द्रव्य घालावे बहुवशी । रात्रिसूक्त म्हणावे हर्षी । विष्णुस्मरण करावे ॥३९॥
pūrṇa kumbha ṭheūni uśī | mamgaḷa dravya ghālāve bahuvaśī | rātrisūkta mhaṇāve harṣī | viṣṇusmaraṇa karāve ||39||
Keeping a full water-pot near the head, one should set out auspicious articles generously; one should joyfully recite the night-hymn, and remember Vishnu before sleep.
The bedtime ritual — a full water-pot, sacred recitation, remembrance of the divine — turns even the moment of falling asleep into an act of devotion.
Close your day with a small act of remembrance or gratitude before you fall asleep.
मग स्मरावा अगस्त्यऋषि । माधव मुचुकुंद परियेसी । आस्तिक कपिल महाऋषि । सर्पस्तुति करावी ॥२४०॥
maga smarāvā agastyaṛṣi | mādhava mucukumda pariyesī | āstika kapila mahāṛṣi | sarpastuti karāvī ||240||
Then one should remember the sage Agastya, Mādhava, Mucukunda, the sage Āstika, and the great sage Kapila; and one should offer praise to the serpents.
The bedtime remembrance of sages and legendary protectors continues, a folk practice of invoking guardianship before sleep.
Recall people or forces that have protected and guided you before you rest each night.
निषिद्ध स्थाने निजावयासी । सांगेन सर्व परियेसी । जीर्ण देवालयी स्मशानासी । एक वृक्षातळी वर्जावे ॥४१॥
niṣiddha sthāne nijāvayāsī | sāmgena sarva pariyesī | jīrṇa devālayī smaśānāsī | eka vṛkṣātaḷī varjāve ||41||
I will tell you all the forbidden places for sleeping: a decayed temple, a cremation-ground, and the spot beneath a lone tree should be avoided.
The text turns to describing unsuitable locations for sleep, paralleling the earlier list of unsuitable places to eat.
Choose a settled, safe place to rest, and avoid places that unsettle your peace of mind.
चारी बिदी चोहाटेसी । ईश्वरस्थान परियेसी । मातापिता निजले स्थळासी । निजू नये परियेसा ॥४२॥
cārī bidī cohāṭesī | īśvarasthāna pariyesī | mātāpitā nijale sthaḷāsī | nijū naye pariyesā ||42||
One should not sleep at crossroads, in a marketplace, in a place sacred to a deity, or where one's mother or father is sleeping.
The list of unsuitable sleeping places continues, including notably the modesty of not sharing a parent's sleeping space.
Respect the personal space and boundaries of your parents and elders, even in something as ordinary as where you sleep.
वर्जावे वारुळाजवळी । आणि तळ्याचे पाळी । नदीतीरी नसता जवळी । घोर स्थळी निजू नये ॥४३॥
varjāve vāruḷājavaḷī | āṇi taḷyāce pāḷī | nadītīrī nasatā javaḷī | ghora sthaḷī nijū naye ||43||
One should avoid sleeping near an anthill or on the edge of a pond; away from a riverbank, one should not sleep in any fearsome or desolate place.
Caution against isolated or unsettling locations for rest continues — a practical safety concern dressed as ritual instruction.
Trust your instinct about a place that feels unsafe, and choose somewhere secure to rest instead.
वर्जावे शयन धान्यावरी । निजू नये मोडके घरी । वडील खाली निजतील तरी । खट्वा वर्जावी त्यापुढे ॥४४॥
varjāve śayana dhānyāvarī | nijū naye moḍake gharī | vaḍīla khālī nijatīla tarī | khaṭvā varjāvī tyāpuḍhe ||44||
One should avoid sleeping on top of stored grain; one should not sleep in a dilapidated house; if elders are sleeping on the ground below, one's cot should not be placed in front of them.
Practical and respectful cautions about sleeping arrangements continue, including deference in physical position toward elders.
Be mindful of your physical position relative to elders in the household — don't place yourself literally above them without thought.
नेसून ओले अथवा नग्न । निजू नये शिर वेष्टून । आकाशाखाली वर्जावे शयन । दीप असता निजू नये ॥४५॥
nesūna ole athavā nagna | nijū naye śira veṣṭūna | ākāśākhālī varjāve śayana | dīpa asatā nijū naye ||45||
One should not sleep wearing wet clothes or unclothed; one should not sleep with the head wrapped; sleeping under the open sky should be avoided; one should not sleep with a lamp still lit.
Practical guidance for a settled, dignified sleep continues — proper dress, a covered space, and darkness for rest.
Prepare properly for sleep — settle your body and your space — rather than just collapsing into bed as you are.
पूर्वरात्री अपरात्रीसी । निजू नये परियेसी । असू नये स्त्रियेपासी । रजस्वला चतुर्थदिनी ॥४६॥
pūrvarātrī aparātrīsī | nijū naye pariyesī | asū naye striyepāsī | rajasvalā caturthadinī ||46||
One should not merely sleep through the first or last watch of the night; one should not be near one's wife, nor on the fourth day of her monthly course.
This touches on marital and menstrual conventions of the era's household code, reflecting historical practice rather than a universal principle.
Be attentive and respectful of your partner's needs and rhythms, adjusting your closeness accordingly.
असावे जानवे उपवीतीसी । दृष्टी न पडावी योनीसी । आयुष्य क्षीण परियेसी । दीप वर्जावा या कारणे ॥४७॥
asāve jānave upavītīsī | dṛṣṭī na paḍāvī yonīsī | āyuṣya kṣīṇa pariyesī | dīpa varjāvā yā kāraṇe ||47||
The sacred thread should be kept properly worn; the eye should not fall upon what is private; it is said this shortens one's life; for this reason the lamp should be extinguished at such a time.
This continues modesty conventions from the era's household code regarding privacy in intimate moments.
Honor privacy and modesty as a matter of basic respect between partners.
नीळ वस्त्र नेसले स्त्रियेसी । करिता संग परियेसी । पुत्र उपजे चांडाळेसी । शुभ्र वस्त्र विशेष ॥४८॥
nīḷa vastra nesale striyesī | karitā samga pariyesī | putra upaje cāmḍāḷesī | śubhra vastra viśeṣa ||48||
If a woman wears blue clothing during union, it is said a child of low birth may result; white clothing is regarded as especially favorable.
This reflects an old folk-belief about clothing color and childbirth outcomes tied to caste anxieties of the era — historical superstition rather than lasting teaching.
Set aside old superstitions about appearance determining worth, and focus instead on how you actually care for family.
रजस्वला न होता स्त्रियेसी । न करावा संग परियेसी । संग करिता महादोषी । आणिक प्रकार एक असे ॥४९॥
rajasvalā na hotā striyesī | na karāvā samga pariyesī | samga karitā mahādoṣī | āṇika prakāra eka ase ||49||
Before the wife's fertile period has come, one should not seek union with her; doing so is a great fault; there is another point to add here.
Restraint is urged, treating patience and timing within marriage as a serious ethical matter rather than a matter of personal convenience.
Practice patience and consideration in your closest relationships rather than acting purely on impulse.
दश वर्षे होता कन्येसी । रजस्वला सर्वत्रांसी । ऐका तुम्ही सर्व ऋषि पराशर सांगतसे ॥२५०॥
daśa varṣe hotā kanyesī | rajasvalā sarvatrāmsī | aikā tumhī sarva ṛṣi parāśara sāmgatase ||250||
When a girl reaches ten years, she is reckoned, by the general understanding of that era, to have entered womanhood; hear this, all of you — so says the sage Parāśara.
This reflects the social and medical framework of the text's own historical period rather than any timeless prescription; ancient customary reckoning here differs vastly from present-day understanding of childhood and maturity.
Honor each stage of a child's life as its own, and let present-day understanding, not ancient custom, guide how we care for the young.
ऋतुकाळ असता स्त्रियेसी । गावासी जाता परियेसी । भ्रूणहत्या होय दोषी । प्रख्यात असे परियेसा ॥५१॥
ṛtukāḷa asatā striyesī | gāvāsī jātā pariyesī | bhrūṇahatyā hoya doṣī | prakhyāta ase pariyesā ||51||
If, during the fertile period, she journeys away to another place, the consequence is spoken of as being like the loss of a potential child; this is well known, understand it so.
This reflects an old belief connecting travel during a fertile window with loss of conception, part of the era's folk reproductive lore.
During times when care and stability matter most for a family, choose steadiness over unnecessary disruption.
वृद्ध अथवा वांझेसी ।असती पुत्र जिसी । बहु कन्या होती जियेसी । चुकता ऋतुकाळ दोष नाही ॥५२॥
vṛddha athavā vāmjhesī |asatī putra jisī | bahu kanyā hotī jiyesī | cukatā ṛtukāḷa doṣa nāhī ||52||
For an elderly or otherwise childless woman who does have a son, or one who has borne many daughters, there is no fault if the fertile period passes without conception.
An exception to the fertility-timing rules is offered for households in specific circumstances, showing some flexibility within the strict code.
Recognize that rigid expectations don't fit every family's situation, and allow room for exceptions.
ऋतु देता चतुर्थ दिवसी । पुत्र उपजे अल्पायुषी । कन्या होय पाचवे दिवसी । सहावे दिनी पुत्र परियेसा ॥५३॥
ṛtu detā caturtha divasī | putra upaje alpāyuṣī | kanyā hoya pācave divasī | sahāve dinī putra pariyesā ||53||
If conception occurs on the fourth day, it is said a short-lived son results; on the fifth day, a daughter; on the sixth day, a son.
This reflects an ancient folk belief, now known to have no medical basis, about the day of conception determining a child's sex and lifespan.
Hold folk beliefs about determining a child's traits lightly; welcome whatever child comes with equal love.
विषम दिवसी कन्या जाण । सम दिवसी पुत्र सगुण । दहा दिवस ऋतुकाळ खूण । चंद्रबळ असावे ॥५४॥
viṣama divasī kanyā jāṇa | sama divasī putra saguṇa | dahā divasa ṛtukāḷa khūṇa | camdrabaḷa asāve ||54||
On an odd-numbered day, a daughter is said to result; on an even day, a worthy son; the fertile period is marked as ten days, with lunar influence said to matter.
The same folk belief about timing and offspring continues, framed within old lunar-based reckoning.
Whatever old beliefs surround having children, root your own hopes in love and welcome rather than a wished-for outcome.
मूळ मघा रेवती दिवसी । संग न करावा परियेसी । कोप नसावा उभयतांसी । संतोषरूपे असावे ॥५५॥
mūḷa maghā revatī divasī | samga na karāvā pariyesī | kopa nasāvā ubhayatāmsī | samtoṣarūpe asāve ||55||
On certain marked days, one should not seek union; there should be no anger between the couple; both should remain in a spirit of contentment.
The teaching turns from calendar-based restriction to something more universal — insisting that marital intimacy should happen only in a mood of mutual goodwill, not anger.
Never let closeness with your partner happen in anger — wait until you are both at peace.
ऋतुकाळी स्त्रीपुरुषांसी । जे जे असेल मानसी । सत्त्वरजतमोगुणेसी । तैसा पिंड उपजे देखा ॥५६॥
ṛtukāḷī strīpuruṣāmsī | je je asela mānasī | sattvarajatamoguṇesī | taisā pimḍa upaje dekhā ||56||
During the fertile period, whatever is present in the minds of husband and wife — shaped by the qualities of goodness, passion, or inertia — such, indeed, is the nature of the child that is conceived.
An old but psychologically resonant idea: the emotional and mental state of parents at a formative moment leaves its mark on what follows; sattva, rajas, tamas (goodness, passion, inertia) are the three qualities said to color all of nature.
Approach significant beginnings — a new project, a new relationship, a new child — with the calm, positive state of mind you want reflected in the outcome.
ऐसा ब्राह्मणाचा आचार । सांगता झाला पराशर । ऐकोनि समस्त ऋषीश्वर । येणेपरी आचरती ॥५७॥
aisā brāhmaṇācā ācāra | sāmgatā jhālā parāśara | aikoni samasta ṛṣīśvara | yeṇeparī ācaratī ||57||
Thus Parāśara finished teaching the conduct of a brahmin; hearing it, all the great sages began to practice it accordingly.
The long embedded discourse of the sage Parāśara closes here, marking that the teaching was received and put into practice by its first hearers.
Don't just admire good teaching — put it into practice, as the sages did here.
श्रीगुरु म्हणती ब्राह्मणांसी । ऐसा आचार परियेसी । जे आचरती विधींसी । दैन्य कैचे तया घरी ॥५८॥
śrīguru mhaṇatī brāhmaṇāmsī | aisā ācāra pariyesī | je ācaratī vidhīmsī | dainya kaice tayā gharī ||58||
Shri Guru says to the brahmins: 'Such is the right conduct, understand it well; for those who practice these observances, how could poverty ever enter their home?'
The guru steps back in to summarize the fruit of the whole long teaching — disciplined daily conduct is presented as the very antidote to household misfortune.
Trust that steady, disciplined daily habits are themselves a form of provision and protection for your household.
ते वंद्य होत देवांसी । कामधेनु येईल घरासी । लक्ष्मी राहे अखंडेसी । पुत्रपौत्री नांदती ॥५९॥
te vamdya hota devāmsī | kāmadhenu yeīla gharāsī | lakṣmī rāhe akhamḍesī | putrapautrī nāmdatī ||59||
Such people become worthy of reverence even among the gods; the wish-fulfilling cow comes to their home; wealth remains with them unbroken; sons and grandsons flourish there.
The promised blessings of disciplined living are described in the imagery of the wish-granting cow and enduring prosperity — abundance as the fruit of a well-ordered life.
Expect that a disciplined, well-ordered daily life will, over time, bring its own quiet abundance.
होय आपण शतायुषी । न घडती दोष काही त्यासी । तो न भिई कळिकाळासी । ब्रह्मज्ञानी होय जाणा ॥२६०॥
hoya āpaṇa śatāyuṣī | na ghaḍatī doṣa kāhī tyāsī | to na bhiī kaḷikāḷāsī | brahmajñānī hoya jāṇā ||260||
Such a one becomes long-lived; no faults befall him; he does not fear death or the power of time itself; he becomes a knower of the ultimate truth.
The promised fruits of disciplined conduct culminate here in fearlessness before death and genuine spiritual knowledge — not superstition but freedom.
Let a disciplined daily life build in you a quiet fearlessness rather than anxiety about the future.
काळमृत्यु चुके देखा । अपमृत्यु घडे कैचा ऐका । ऐसा आचार आहे निका । नित्य रहाटावे येणेपरी ॥६१॥
kāḷamṛtyu cuke dekhā | apamṛtyu ghaḍe kaicā aikā | aisā ācāra āhe nikā | nitya rahāṭāve yeṇeparī ||61||
A death ordained by fate is avoided; how then could an untimely death occur? Such conduct is truly excellent; one should live by it constantly, in this way.
The guru's summary of the blessings of right conduct closes, urging its constant, ongoing practice rather than occasional observance.
Make good daily habits a constant practice, not an occasional effort.
ऐसे ऐकोनिया वचना । विप्र लागे श्रीगुरुचरणा । झाला उपदेश उद्धारणा । कृपासागर गुरुमूर्ति ॥६२॥
aise aikoniyā vacanā | vipra lāge śrīgurucaraṇā | jhālā upadeśa uddhāraṇā | kṛpāsāgara gurumūrti ||62||
Hearing these words, the brahmin clung to the feet of Shri Guru; the teaching had become his deliverance; the Guru is an ocean of compassion.
The disciple's response to the long teaching is not intellectual mastery but devotion — falling at the guru's feet, recognizing the teaching as an act of grace.
Respond to good guidance with gratitude and humility, not just by filing it away as information.
भक्तजन तारावयासी । अवतरलासी ह्रषीकेशी । परिहरिले अंधकारासी । ज्ञानज्योती प्रकाशली ॥६३॥
bhaktajana tārāvayāsī | avataralāsī hraṣīkeśī | pariharile amdhakārāsī | jñānajyotī prakāśalī ||63||
'You have incarnated, O lord of the senses, to save your devotees; you have dispelled the darkness; the lamp of knowledge has now shone forth.'
The brahmin's prayer names the guru directly as a divine incarnation whose teaching has been like light breaking through darkness — the standard climax of a guru-disciple episode in this text.
Recognize and name the people who have brought real clarity into your life.
ऐसे विनवोनि ब्राह्मण । पुनरपि धरिले श्रीगुरुचरण । श्रीगुरुमुर्ति संतोषोन । प्रसन्न झाले तये वेळी ॥६४॥
aise vinavoni brāhmaṇa | punarapi dharile śrīgurucaraṇa | śrīgurumurti samtoṣona | prasanna jhāle taye veḷī ||64||
Having thus entreated, the brahmin again clasped Shri Guru's feet; Shri Guru's form, well pleased, became gracious at that moment.
The guru's grace is shown responding directly to the disciple's sincere devotion — teaching completed, blessing follows.
Sincere gratitude, given fully, tends to open the way for further goodwill and connection.
म्हणती श्रीगुरु तयासी । आचार सांगितला तुज हर्षी । नव जावे आता भिक्षेसी । आचार करूनि सुखी असे ॥६५॥
mhaṇatī śrīguru tayāsī | ācāra sāmgitalā tuja harṣī | nava jāve ātā bhikṣesī | ācāra karūni sukhī ase ||65||
Shri Guru says to him: 'I have joyfully taught you this conduct; now you need not go begging for alms again; live happily, following this conduct.'
The guru's blessing turns practical — promising the disciple that living by right conduct itself removes future want, closing the story's material concern.
Trust that living by sound principles removes much of the anxious scrambling that drives us to beg or grasp.
जे जे इच्छिसी कामना । होईल निरुती सत्य जाणा । कन्या पुत्र नांदती सगुणा । संदेह न धरावा मानसी ॥६६॥
je je icchisī kāmanā | hoīla nirutī satya jāṇā | kanyā putra nāmdatī saguṇā | samdeha na dharāvā mānasī ||66||
'Whatever desire you wish for will truly come to pass, know this for certain; your sons and daughters will flourish; hold no doubt in your mind.'
The guru's blessing extends into reassurance about the future of the disciple's family, meant to settle any remaining anxiety.
Let a trusted teacher's reassurance actually settle your worry, rather than continuing to doubt.
ऐसा वर लाधोनि । विप्र गेला संतोषोनि । होता तैसा आचरोनि । सकळाभीष्टे लाधला ॥६७॥
aisā vara lādhoni | vipra gelā samtoṣoni | hotā taisā ācaroni | sakaḷābhīṣṭe lādhalā ||67||
Having received this boon, the brahmin went away rejoicing; living exactly as instructed, he obtained all that he desired.
The brahmin's story closes with the simple confirmation that practicing the teaching, not merely hearing it, brought about the promised result.
Judge any teaching by whether you actually live it out, not by how well you understood it.
सिद्ध म्हणे नामधारकासी । श्रीगुरुचरित्र ऐसे परियेसी । ऐकता ज्ञान समस्तांसी । मूढ होय ब्रह्मज्ञानी ॥६८॥
siddha mhaṇe nāmadhārakāsī | śrīgurucaritra aise pariyesī | aikatā jñāna samastāmsī | mūḍha hoya brahmajñānī ||68||
Siddha says to Nāmadhārak: 'Such is the Shri Gurucharitra; listen to it well; hearing it grants knowledge to all; even the dull-witted becomes a knower of the ultimate truth.'
The chapter returns to its frame narrative — Siddha teaching Nāmadhārak — promising that the text itself, simply by being heard with faith, can transform even an unlearned listener.
Trust that sincerely engaging with wise teaching, even without special learning, can genuinely change you.
अज्ञानतिमिरअंधकारासी । ज्योतिप्रकाश कथा सुरसी । जे जे इच्छिले मानसी । पाविजे त्वरित अवधारा ॥६९॥
ajñānatimiraamdhakārāsī | jyotiprakāśa kathā surasī | je je icchile mānasī | pāvije tvarita avadhārā ||69||
To the darkness of ignorance, this is like the light of a lamp, a delightful story; whatever is desired in the mind is swiftly attained — understand this well.
The whole Gurucharitra text is praised as a source of illumination and fulfillment for its listeners, part of the standard closing praise found at chapter's end.
Return often to whatever story or teaching has been a genuine light for you.
म्हणे सरस्वतीगंगाधरु । श्रीगुरुचरित्र असे सुरतरु । ऐकता होय संतोष फारु । सकळाभीष्टे साधती ॥२७०॥
mhaṇe sarasvatīgamgādharu | śrīgurucaritra ase surataru | aikatā hoya samtoṣa phāru | sakaḷābhīṣṭe sādhatī ||270||
Sarasvatī Gaṅgādhar says: 'The Shri Gurucharitra is like a wish-fulfilling tree; hearing it brings great joy; all desires are thereby accomplished.'
The author's closing signature verse likens the text to a wish-fulfilling tree, a standard devotional convention marking the end of a chapter.
Let your engagement with a meaningful text be a source of real joy, not just obligation.
इति श्रीगुरुचरित्र । नामधारका शिष्य सांगत । आचार जो का समस्त । निरोपिला श्रीगुरुनाथे ॥२७१॥
iti śrīgurucaritra | nāmadhārakā śiṣya sāmgata | ācāra jo kā samasta | niropilā śrīgurunāthe ||271||
Thus ends this portion of the Shri Gurucharitra, recounted by the disciple Nāmadhārak; the entire code of conduct has been imparted by Shri Guru-nātha.
A formal closing statement marks the chapter's end and summarizes its content as the guru's complete teaching on conduct.
Mark the completion of a teaching or a stage of learning with a clear sense of closure.
इति श्रीगुरुचरित्रपरमकथाकल्पतरौ श्रीनृसिंहसरस्वत्युपाख्याने सिद्धनामधारकसंवादे आह्निककर्मनिरूपणं नाम सप्तत्रिंशोऽध्यायः ॥३७॥
iti śrīgurucaritraparamakathākalpatarau śrīnṛsimhasarasvatyupākhyāne siddhanāmadhārakasamvāde āhnikakarmanirūpaṇam nāma saptatrimśo'dhyāyaḥ ||37||
Thus, in the supreme wish-fulfilling story-tree of the Shri Gurucharitra, in the dialogue of Siddha and Nāmadhārak recounting the tale of Shri Nṛsiṃha Sarasvatī, ends the thirty-seventh chapter, named 'The Exposition of Daily Rites.'
This is the formal colophon that closes every chapter of the Gurucharitra, here naming this chapter's theme explicitly as the daily rites (āhnika karma) that have just been taught.
Give your own daily routine a name and a clear shape, the way this chapter has just done.
श्रीगुरुदत्तात्रेयार्पितमस्तु ॥
śrīgurudattātreyārpitamastu ||
May this be offered to Shri Guru Dattātreya.
The traditional dedicatory line offers the entire chapter's merit back to Dattātreya, the guru-deity at the heart of this text.
Dedicate the fruit of your own effort back to something greater than yourself.
(ओवीसंख्या २७१)
(ovīsamkhyā 271)
(Number of verses: 271)
A scribal note recording the traditional verse count of this chapter, part of the manuscript's own bookkeeping.
Keep track of your own progress; even a simple count can mark how far you've come.