दारुवनलीला—नीललोहितपरीक्षा, ब्रह्मोपदेशः, अतिथिधर्मः, संन्यासक्रमः
तस्यास्तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा पुनः प्राह सुदर्शनः देयं सर्वं शिवायार्ये शिव एवातिथिः स्वयम्
tasyāstadvacanaṃ śrutvā punaḥ prāha sudarśanaḥ deyaṃ sarvaṃ śivāyārye śiva evātithiḥ svayam
Als er ihre Worte hörte, sprach Sudarśana erneut: „O edle Frau, bringe alles Śiva dar; denn Śiva selbst ist wahrhaftig der Gast (atithi), der in eigener Person erscheint.“
Suta Goswami (narrating); within the story: Sudarshana
It frames all giving (dāna) and hospitality (atithi-sevā) as direct Śiva-pūjā—treating the guest as Śiva and offering without reserve, which is a key devotional attitude behind Linga worship.
Śiva is presented as immediately present and accessible—‘Śiva Himself is the guest’—highlighting Pati as immanent in sacred encounters, receiving offerings through dharmic action.
Atithi-sevā as a form of Śaiva dāna and pūjā: offering one’s resources and intention to Śiva, a practical discipline that loosens pāśa (bondage) for the paśu (individual soul) by orienting action toward Pati.