Shloka 46
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
निष्क्रान्ते मयि कल्याणि तथा संनिहिते5नघे । नातिथिस्ते5वमन्तव्य: प्रमाणं यद्यहं तव
niṣkrānte mayi kalyāṇi tathā saṃnihite ’naghe | nātithis te ’vamantavyaḥ pramāṇaṃ yady ahaṃ tava ||
হে কল্যাণী, হে অনঘে! যদি তুমি আমাকে আদর্শ মানো, তবে আমি গৃহ থেকে বেরিয়ে যাই বা নিকটে উপস্থিত থাকি—কোনো অবস্থাতেই অতিথিকে অবজ্ঞা করবে না।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches atithi-dharma: a guest must never be dishonored. Hospitality and respectful reception are binding ethical duties, independent of personal convenience or whether an elder/authority figure is present to supervise.
Bhīṣma addresses a woman respectfully (“kalyāṇi,” “anaghe”) and lays down a rule of conduct: whether he is away or nearby, she should not slight a guest. He frames himself as a pramāṇa (moral exemplar) and instructs her to follow this standard.