Talk:Dharm of a Couple – Five Great Daily Worships

By Vishal Agarwal

The Kalpasūtra and Dharmashāstra scriptures lay great emphasis on the five great daily duties that must be performed as acts of worship by all married householders. The aims of these acts are very lofty and their goal is heaven as well as mokṣa, and their avoidance incurs evil karm (pāpaṃ). All long journeys begin with a small step. These five daily duties ensure that we take constant small steps in the direction of dharm and mokṣa, moving forward gradually and reaching our goal progressively.

Hindu scriptures say that it is a sin to eat one’s food before serving it lovingly and respectfully to the deva-s, to one’s elders, to the atithi-s, and to social outcastes and stray animals. The doctrine of pañca-mahāyajña-s weaves lofty ideals and virtuous actions into our daily routine.

The doctrine of the pañca-mahāyajña-s shows that one need not be a rich man or a great person to repay the debt that we owe to everyone around us. We can repay it slowly, in small amounts, by performing these five great daily duties every day, without fail. This is another way of saying that we should do great deeds by doing simple and humble acts of dharm every day, without fail.

When we discharge our five debts, we become fit for mokṣa. If we do not discharge our five debts, we are burdened with the sin of being ungrateful to all those who have benefitted us.