The Greatness of the Guest

Verse 1 (skanda.6.186.1)

ऋषय ऊचुः । भूय एव महाभाग वद माहात्म्यमुत्तमम् । अतिथेः कृत्यमस्माकं विस्तरेण च सूतज

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ bhūya eva mahābhāga vada māhātmyamuttamam atitheḥ kṛtyamasmākaṁ vistareṇa ca sūtaja

The sages said: "Tell us once more, O fortunate one, this excellent greatness — the full duty of ours owed to a guest, O son of Suta, in detail."

Verse 2 (skanda.6.186.2)

सूत उवाच । शृण्वन्तु मुनयः सर्वे माहात्म्यमिदमुत्तमम् । येन संश्रुतमात्रेण नश्येत्पापं दिनोद्भवम्

sūta uvāca śṛṇvantu munayaḥ sarve māhātmyamidamuttamam yena saṁśrutamātreṇa naśyetpāpaṁ dinodbhavam

Suta said: "Let all the sages hear this excellent greatness, by merely hearing which the sin accumulated in a single day is destroyed —"

Verse 3 (skanda.6.186.3)

यन्मया च श्रुतं पूर्वं सकाशात्स्वपितुः शुभम्

yanmayā ca śrutaṁ pūrvaṁ sakāśātsvapituḥ śubham

"which I heard formerly, auspicious, from my own father."

Verse 4 (skanda.6.186.4)

गृहस्थानां परो धर्मो नान्योऽस्त्यतिथिपूजनात् । अतिथेर्न च दोषोस्ति तस्यातिक्रमणेन च

gṛhasthānāṁ paro dharmo nānyo'styatithipūjanāt atitherna ca doṣosti tasyātikramaṇena ca

"For householders there is no higher duty than the worship of a guest; and no fault attaches to the guest, even by his own transgression."

Verse 5 (skanda.6.186.5)

अतिथिर्यस्य भग्नाशो गृहात्प्रतिनिवर्तते । स दत्त्वा दुष्कृतं तस्मै पुण्यमादाय गच्छति

atithiryasya bhagnāśo gṛhātpratinivartate sa dattvā duṣkṛtaṁ tasmai puṇyamādāya gacchati

"The guest whose hope is broken, who turns back from a house unreceived, departs having left his misdeed there and taken away its merit."

Verse 6 (skanda.6.186.6)

सत्यं शौचं तपोऽधीतं दत्तमिष्टं शतं समाः । तस्य सर्वमिदं नष्टमतिथिं यो न पूजयेत्

satyaṁ śaucaṁ tapo'dhītaṁ dattamiṣṭaṁ śataṁ samāḥ tasya sarvamidaṁ naṣṭamatithiṁ yo na pūjayet

"Truth, purity, austerity, learning, gifts, desired rites performed for a hundred years — all of this is destroyed for one who does not honor a guest."

Verse 7 (skanda.6.186.7)

दूरादतिथयो यस्य गृहमायांति निर्वृताः । स गृहस्थ इति प्रोक्तः शेषाश्च गृहरक्षिणः

dūrādatithayo yasya gṛhamāyāṁti nirvṛtāḥ sa gṛhastha iti proktaḥ śeṣāśca gṛharakṣiṇaḥ

"He to whose house guests come joyfully from afar is called a true householder; all others are mere keepers of a house."

Verse 8 (skanda.6.186.8)

न पुराकृतपुण्यानां नराणामिह भूतले । त्रीनेतान्प्रतिहन्यंते श्राद्धं दानं शुभा गिरः

na purākṛtapuṇyānāṁ narāṇāmiha bhūtale trīnetānpratihanyaṁte śrāddhaṁ dānaṁ śubhā giraḥ

"For men who have not performed merit in a former life, here upon this earth, these three things are withheld from them: the shraddha rite, charity, and auspicious speech."

Verse 9 (skanda.6.186.9)

तुष्टेऽतिथौ गृहस्थस्य तुष्टाः स्युः सर्वदेवताः । विमुखे विमुखाः सर्वा भवंति च न संशयः तस्मात्तोषयितव्यश्च गृहस्थेन सदाऽतिथिः । अप्यात्मनः प्रदानेन यदीच्छेत्पुण्यमात्मनः

tuṣṭe'tithau gṛhasthasya tuṣṭāḥ syuḥ sarvadevatāḥ vimukhe vimukhāḥ sarvā bhavaṁti ca na saṁśayaḥ tasmāttoṣayitavyaśca gṛhasthena sadā'tithiḥ apyātmanaḥ pradānena yadīcchetpuṇyamātmanaḥ

"When the guest is satisfied, all the gods become satisfied with the householder; when he is turned away, all of them turn away likewise — without doubt. Therefore the guest must always be gratified by the householder, even at the cost of himself, if he desires merit for his own soul."

Verse 10 (skanda.6.186.10)

त्रिविधस्त्वतिथिः प्रोक्तो गृहस्थानां द्विजोत्तमाः । तस्याहं वच्मि वः कालं शृणुध्वं सुसमाहिताः

trividhastvatithiḥ prokto gṛhasthānāṁ dvijottamāḥ tasyāhaṁ vacmi vaḥ kālaṁ śṛṇudhvaṁ susamāhitāḥ

"The guest is declared to be of three kinds for householders, O best of brahmins; I shall tell you the proper time for each — listen with full attention."

Verse 11 (skanda.6.186.11)

श्राद्धीयो वैश्वदेवीयः सूर्योढश्च तृतीयकः । ये चान्ये भोजनार्थीयास्ते सामान्याः प्रकीर्तिता

śrāddhīyo vaiśvadevīyaḥ sūryoḍhaśca tṛtīyakaḥ ye cānye bhojanārthīyāste sāmānyāḥ prakīrtitā

"The shraddhiya, the vaishvadeviya, and the third, the suryodha; others who come merely seeking a meal are proclaimed ordinary guests."

Verse 12 (skanda.6.186.12)

सांकल्पे विहिते श्राद्धे पितॄणां भोजनोद्भवे । समागच्छति यः काले तस्मिञ्छ्राद्धीय एव सः

sāṁkalpe vihite śrāddhe pitṝṇāṁ bhojanodbhave samāgacchati yaḥ kāle tasmiñchrāddhīya eva saḥ

"When a shraddha, its resolve duly made, is underway for the feeding of the ancestors, whoever arrives at that time is indeed the shraddhiya guest."

Verse 13 (skanda.6.186.13)

दूराध्वानं पथि श्रांतं वैश्वदेवांत आगतम् । अतिथिं तं विजानीयान्नातिथिः पूर्वमागतः

dūrādhvānaṁ pathi śrāṁtaṁ vaiśvadevāṁta āgatam atithiṁ taṁ vijānīyānnātithiḥ pūrvamāgataḥ

"One should recognize as a true guest one who, weary from a long road, arrives at the close of the Vaishvadeva rite; one who arrived earlier is not, in this sense, a guest."

Verse 14 (skanda.6.186.14)

प्रियो वा यदि वा द्वेष्यो मूर्खः पंडित एव वा । वैश्वदेवे तु संप्राप्तः सोऽतिथिः स्वर्गसंक्रमः

priyo vā yadi vā dveṣyo mūrkhaḥ paṁḍita eva vā vaiśvadeve tu saṁprāptaḥ so'tithiḥ svargasaṁkramaḥ

"Whether dear or hateful, foolish or learned, whoever arrives precisely at the Vaishvadeva rite is a guest who is a passage to heaven."

Verse 15 (skanda.6.186.15)

न पृच्छेद्गोत्रचरणं न स्थानं वेदमेव च । दृष्ट्वा यज्ञोपवीतं च भोजयेत्तं प्रभक्तितः

na pṛcchedgotracaraṇaṁ na sthānaṁ vedameva ca dṛṣṭvā yajñopavītaṁ ca bhojayettaṁ prabhaktitaḥ

"One should not ask his lineage, his conduct, his origin, or even his Veda; having seen his sacred thread, one should feed him with full devotion."

Verse 16 (skanda.6.186.16)

श्राद्धे वा वैश्वदेवे वा यद्यागच्छति नातिथिः । घृताहुतिं ततो दद्यात्तन्नाम्ना च हविर्भुजि

śrāddhe vā vaiśvadeve vā yadyāgacchati nātithiḥ ghṛtāhutiṁ tato dadyāttannāmnā ca havirbhuji

"If, at a shraddha or at the Vaishvadeva rite, no guest should come, then an oblation of ghee should be offered in his name into the sacrificial fire."

Verse 17 (skanda.6.186.17)

अशक्त्या भोज्यदानस्य देयं भक्त्या ततः परम् । तस्यान्नमपि तु स्तोकं येन तुष्टिं प्रगच्छति

aśaktyā bhojyadānasya deyaṁ bhaktyā tataḥ param tasyānnamapi tu stokaṁ yena tuṣṭiṁ pragacchati

"If unable to give a full meal, one should give at least with devotion — even a scant portion of food, by which he attains satisfaction."

Verse 18 (skanda.6.186.18)

तथान्यश्च तृतीयस्तु सूर्योढोऽतिथिरुच्यते । कृते तु भोजने यस्तु रात्रौ वा चाधिगच्छति। तस्य शक्त्या प्रदातव्यं सस्यं च गृहमेधिना

tathānyaśca tṛtīyastu sūryoḍho'tithirucyate kṛte tu bhojane yastu rātrau vā cādhigacchati tasya śaktyā pradātavyaṁ sasyaṁ ca gṛhamedhinā

"And there is yet a third kind, called the suryodha guest: one who arrives at night, after the meal is already finished — to him the householder should give food according to his means."

Verse 19 (skanda.6.186.19)

सूर्योढो यस्य संप्राप्तो गृहात्पूजां विना व्रजेत्। निराशः पातकं तस्य निजं दत्त्वा प्रयाति सः। तृणानि भूमिरुदकं वाक्चतुर्थी च सूनृता। एतान्यपि सतां गेहे नोच्छिद्यंते कदाचन

sūryoḍho yasya saṁprāpto gṛhātpūjāṁ vinā vrajet nirāśaḥ pātakaṁ tasya nijaṁ dattvā prayāti saḥ tṛṇāni bhūmirudakaṁ vākcaturthī ca sūnṛtā etānyapi satāṁ gehe nocchidyaṁte kadācana

"If the suryodha guest who has come departs from the house unhonored, hopeless, he carries away with him his own accumulated sin, leaving it there. Grass for a seat, ground to sit upon, water, and, fourthly, kind speech — these are never denied in the house of the virtuous."

Verse 20 (skanda.6.186.20)

स्वागतेनाग्नयस्तृप्तिं गृहस्थस्य प्रयांति च । आसनेन व्रजेत्तुष्टिं स्वयंभूः प्रपितामहः

svāgatenāgnayastṛptiṁ gṛhasthasya prayāṁti ca āsanena vrajettuṣṭiṁ svayaṁbhūḥ prapitāmahaḥ

"By a warm welcome, the sacred fires attain satisfaction on the householder's behalf; by the offering of a seat, Svayambhu, the great-grandsire, attains satisfaction."

Verse 21 (skanda.6.186.21)

अर्घेण शंभुः पाद्येन सर्वे देवाः सवासवाः । भोज्यदानेन विष्णुः स्यात्सर्वदेवमयोऽतिथिः

argheṇa śaṁbhuḥ pādyena sarve devāḥ savāsavāḥ bhojyadānena viṣṇuḥ syātsarvadevamayo'tithiḥ

"By the offering of arghya, Shambhu is satisfied; by water for the feet, all the gods together with Vasava; by the gift of food, Vishnu is satisfied — the guest is composed of all the gods together."

Verse 22 (skanda.6.186.22)

तस्मात्पूज्यः सदा विप्रा भोजनीयो विशेषतः । नामाप्युच्चार्य भोज्योऽन्यो ब्राह्मणो गृहमेधिना

tasmātpūjyaḥ sadā viprā bhojanīyo viśeṣataḥ nāmāpyuccārya bhojyo'nyo brāhmaṇo gṛhamedhinā

"Therefore a guest must always be honored, and above all fed, O brahmins; any other brahmin should be fed by the householder only after his name has first been spoken."