Shloka 91
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
तस्माद् गृहाश्रमस्थस्य नान्यद् दैवतमस्ति वै । ऋते5तिर्थिं नरव्यात्र मनसैतद् विचारय,पुरुषसिंह! इसलिये तुम अपने मनमें यह निश्चित विचार कर लो कि गृहस्थ पुरुषके लिये अतिथिको छोड़कर दूसरा कोई देवता नहीं है
tasmād gṛhāśramasthasya nānyad daivatam asti vai | ṛte ’tithiṃ naravyāghra manasaitad vicāraya puruṣasiṃha ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Darum gibt es für den, der im Āśrama des Hausvaters lebt, wahrlich keine andere Gottheit — außer dem Gast. Erwäge dies fest in deinem Herzen, o Tiger unter den Menschen, löwenhafter Held.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
For a householder, serving the atithi is the highest and most immediate form of religious duty—so central that the guest is treated as the primary ‘deity’ to be honored through food, respect, and care.
Bhīṣma is instructing the listener (addressed as ‘naravyāghra’ and ‘puruṣasiṃha’) on gṛhastha-dharma, emphasizing that the ethical and spiritual responsibility of hospitality stands above other ritual priorities for householders.