Shloka 2

द्रोणपर्व अध्याय ६७ — अर्जुनस्य प्रवेशः, श्रुतायुध-वधः, सुदक्षिण-वधः

Arjuna’s advance; deaths of Śrutāyudha and Sudakṣiṇa

Devanagari script

गृहानभ्यागतान्‌ विप्रानतिथीन्‌ परिवेषका: । पक्‍्वापक्वं दिवारात्र॑ वरान्नममृतोपमम्‌,नारदजी कहते हैं--सूंजय! सुना है कि संकृतिके पुत्र रन्तिदेव भी जीवित नहीं रह सके। उन महामना नरेशके यहाँ दो लाख रसोइये थे, जो घरपर आये हुए ब्राह्मण अतिथियोंको अमृतके समान मधुर कच्चा-पक्का उत्तम अन्न दिन-रात परोसते रहते थे

Transliteration

gṛhān abhyāgatān viprān atithīn pariveṣakāḥ | pakvāpakvaṃ divārātraṃ varānnam amṛtopamam ||

Translation

Narada said: “Those who came to his house—Brahmin guests and other atithis—were continually served by attendants. Day and night they offered excellent food, both cooked and uncooked, sweet and choice, like nectar itself.”

Word by Word

• {'gṛhān': 'to the house

• home (acc./as destination in context of arrival)', 'abhyāgatān': 'those who have come/arrived

• visitors', 'viprān': 'Brahmins

• learned priests', 'atithīn': 'guests (lit. ‘one who comes without a fixed date’)

• recipients of hospitality', 'pariveṣakāḥ': 'servers

• attendants who distribute food', 'pakvāpakvam': 'cooked and uncooked (food)

• prepared and unprepared items', 'divārātram': 'day and night

• continuously', 'varānnam': 'excellent/choice food

• superior fare', 'amṛtopamam': 'comparable to nectar

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Sañjaya
• vipra (Brahmins)
• atithi (guests)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse upholds atithi-dharma: welcoming and feeding guests—especially Brahmins—with the best one has, continuously and without reluctance. It also implicitly frames generosity as a royal virtue, while the broader context points to the inevitability of death despite wealth and fame.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is describing an exemplary household where arriving Brahmin guests and other visitors are constantly served excellent food day and night by attendants, illustrating the famed hospitality associated with great donors in epic tradition.