Shloka 32
Adhyaya 29 — Alarka’s Inquiry and Madalasa’s Teaching on Householder Dharma (Gārhasthya), Vaiśvadeva, and Atithi Hospitality
स दत्त्वा दुष्कृतं तस्मै पुण्यमादाय गच्छति ।
अप्यम्बुशाकदानेन यद्वाप्यश्नाति स स्वयम् ॥
sa dattvā duṣkṛtaṃ tasmai puṇyam ādāya gacchati / apy ambuśākadānena yadvāpy aśnāti sa svayam
He (the guest) departs, having given his demerit to that (host) and taken away the host’s merit—whether the host gives merely water and greens, or whether the guest eats it himself.
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FAQs
The verse intensifies the duty of hospitality: refusal harms the host spiritually, while even modest offerings (water/greens) uphold dharma.
Normative dharma teaching; not a pancalakṣaṇa segment.
The ‘exchange’ of puṇya/pāpa dramatizes how intention and reception shape karmic outcomes: the guest becomes a mirror through which the host’s inner generosity is measured.