Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 61
स गच्छेद्रौरवांल्लोकान्योऽतिथिं नाभिपूजयेत् । अतिथिः पूजितो येन स देवैरपि पूज्यते
sa gacchedrauravāṃllokānyo'tithiṃ nābhipūjayet | atithiḥ pūjito yena sa devairapi pūjyate
„Wer den Gast nicht ehrt, gelangt in die Welten des Raurava. Wer aber den Gast ehrt, der wird selbst von den Göttern geehrt.“
Unspecified (didactic narration within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, likely Sūta to sages)
Tirtha: Raurava (nāraka-loka)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A split narrative: on one side a householder refuses a guest and a dark path opens toward Raurava; on the other side a host honours a guest with pādya/arghya and devas shower flowers.
FAQs
Honouring guests is a direct path to merit and divine favour; neglecting them leads to severe karmic consequence.
No site is named; the verse teaches universal atithi-dharma rather than a location-specific māhātmya.
Atithi-pūjā—welcoming and honouring the guest—is prescribed as obligatory dharma.