Shloka 11
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
श्रान्तमध्वनि वर्तन्तं वृद्धमर्हमुपस्थितम् । अर्चयेद् भूतिमन्विच्छन् गृहस्थो गृहमागतम्
śrāntam adhvani vartantaṃ vṛddham arham upasthitam | arcayed bhūtim anvicchan gṛhastho gṛham āgatam ||
Kommt ein betagter und würdiger Wanderer, vom Weg erschöpft, ins Haus, so soll der Hausherr, der sein eigenes Wohl sucht, diesen Gast ehren und mit gebührender Ehrfurcht aufnehmen. Gastfreundschaft ist hier nicht bloße Höflichkeit, sondern eine dharmische Tat, die dem Gebenden Glück verheißt.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A householder should honor a weary, elderly, worthy traveler who arrives as a guest; such reverent hospitality is presented as a direct means to one’s own welfare and auspicious prosperity (bhūti).
Nārada states a rule of conduct for householders: when an exhausted traveler—especially an aged and deserving person—comes to the home, the proper response is to receive and honor him respectfully, treating the guest as an object of reverence.