Shloka 50
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
आतिदथ्यं कृतमिच्छामि त्वयाद्य वरवर्णिनि । प्रमाणं यदि धर्मस्ते गृहस्थाभ्रमसम्मत:
ātithyaṁ kṛtam icchāmi tvayādya varavarṇini | pramāṇaṁ yadi dharmas te gṛhasthābhramasammataḥ ||
قال بهيشما: «يا صاحبةَ البشرةِ النيّرةِ والجمالِ الباهر، إني أريد اليوم أن أتقبّل ضيافتك التي أعددتِها. فإن كان معيارُ الاستقامةِ عندك هو ذلك الدَّرْمَةُ الذي يقرّه أربابُ البيوت ويعدّونه لائقًا، فليُعَدَّ هذا الاستقبال صحيحًا موافقًا للواجب.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hospitality (ātithya) is treated as a concrete expression of dharma, and its legitimacy is grounded in an accepted social-ethical standard—here, the norms approved within gṛhastha-dharma (householder conduct).
Bhīṣma addresses a noble lady and states that he wishes to accept the hospitality she has offered, framing his acceptance in terms of what is considered authoritative and proper according to the householders’ code of dharma.