Shloka 26
Adhyaya 29 — Alarka’s Inquiry and Madalasa’s Teaching on Householder Dharma (Gārhasthya), Vaiśvadeva, and Atithi Hospitality
सम्पूजयेद्यथाशक्ति गन्धपुष्पादिभिस्तथा ।
न मित्रमतिथिं कुर्यान्नैकग्रामनिवासिनम् ॥
sampūjayed yathāśakti gandhapuṣpādibhis tathā / na mitram atithiṃ kuryān naikagrāmanivāsinam
Man soll den Gast nach eigenem Vermögen ehren, mit Düften, Blumen und dergleichen. Einen Freund soll man nicht als ‘atithi’ behandeln, ebenso wenig jemanden, der im selben Dorf wohnt.
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FAQs
Atithi-dharma targets the vulnerable stranger, not one’s familiar circle. The instruction prevents hospitality from becoming a selective social performance.
Ācāra/Dharma guidance; it standardizes ethical obligation in daily life.
The ‘unknown other’ tests non-attachment and generosity; honoring the stranger is a ritualized breaking of self-centered boundaries.