Shloka 47
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
आश्रमं मम सम्प्राप्तस्त्रिलोकेश: पुरंदर: । अतिथिव्रतमास्थाय ब्राह्मुणं रूपमास्थित:
āśramaṁ mama samprāptas trilokeśaḥ puraṁdaraḥ | atithivrataṁ āsthāya brāhmaṇaṁ rūpam āsthitaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Indra, the lord of the three worlds, came to my hermitage. Taking up the sacred duty of a guest and assuming the form of a brāhmaṇa, he arrived as an atithi—testing and affirming the householder’s ethic: that hospitality and reverence to the worthy must be upheld, whatever hidden identity the visitor may bear.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights atithi-dharma: one should honor a guest with proper hospitality and respect, without being swayed by appearances or status. Even a deity may come in disguise, so ethical conduct must be consistent and principled.
Bhīṣma recounts that Indra, lord of the three worlds, came to his hermitage disguised as a brāhmaṇa, adopting the role of a guest. The scene sets up a moral test centered on hospitality and righteous conduct toward visitors.