Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19
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 pradātavyaṃ sasyaṃ ca gṛhamedhinā
وهناك نوعٌ ثالث من الضيف يُسمّى «ضيف الغروب»: وهو من يأتي عند غروب الشمس أو حتى في الليل بعد أن يكون طعام البيت قد أُعِدّ. لمثل هذا الضيف ينبغي لربّ البيت أن يعطي بحسب طاقته من الحبوب والمؤن.
Narrative voice (Purāṇic narrator; not explicitly named in this verse)
Scene: At dusk, a traveler arrives after the household has eaten; the householder opens a grain jar and offers provisions by lamplight, showing readiness and compassion.
FAQs
Even inconvenient arrivals do not cancel dharma—hospitality should be offered according to one’s means.
This teaching appears within the Śrīhāṭa–Keśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa (Tīrthamāhātmya), framing guest-honor as part of tīrtha-centered righteousness.
Dāna of food-grain/provisions to a guest who arrives after the meal—given in proportion to the householder’s capacity.
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