Suggest what the instructions regarding parents, teacher and wife may have been.
Based on the instructions given for samanas and Brahmanas, the instructions regarding parents, teacher and wife would likely have been similar in nature. They would include showing affection in act, speech and mind towards them. Additionally, one should respect and care for them, supply their needs, and maintain harmonious relationships.
For parents, the instructions would emphasise gratitude, respect and caring for them in their old age. For the teacher, the instructions would stress respect, obedience and dedication to learning. For the wife, the instructions would focus on mutual respect, faithfulness and providing for her welfare. All these relationships were to be governed by conduct and values and feelings of metta (fellow feeling) and karuna (compassion).
Explanation
The question asks students to infer what the instructions might have been for parents, teacher and wife, based on the pattern given for samanas and Brahmanas. The context states that similar instructions were given to Sigala. The five ways mentioned for samanas and Brahmanas were: affection in act, speech and mind, keeping open house, and supplying worldly needs. Students should apply this same framework to suggest instructions for parents, teacher and wife, incorporating the Buddhist values of metta and karuna mentioned elsewhere in the context.