Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 23
तस्मै दत्त्वा तु यो भुंक्ते स तु भुंक्तेऽमृतं नरः । अतिथिर्यस्य भग्नाशो गृहात्प्रति निवर्तते
tasmai dattvā tu yo bhuṃkte sa tu bhuṃkte'mṛtaṃ naraḥ | atithiryasya bhagnāśo gṛhātprati nivartate
Wer erst isst, nachdem er dem Gast gegeben hat, der kostet wahrhaft Amṛta, den Nektar der Unsterblichkeit. Doch aus wessen Haus ein Gast mit zerbrochener Hoffnung zurückkehrt—
Parāśara (contextual: instruction on dharma to Yudhiṣṭhira)
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (implied by surrounding dialogue)
Scene: A householder pauses before eating, offering a portion of food to a weary guest at the threshold; the guest’s ‘hope’ is shown as a fragile lamp that must not be extinguished.
FAQs
A householder should feed and honor a guest first; only then is one’s own enjoyment considered pure and life-giving.
No single tīrtha is named in this verse; the emphasis is on universal gṛhastha-dharma within the Dharmāraṇya context.
Dāna to an atithi—giving food or sustenance before taking one’s own meal.