Adhyaya 25

Jaimini asks Sūta to recount in fuller detail Tulasī’s sin-destroying power and the greatness of honoring guests. Through Sūta’s frame, Vyāsa teaches that Tulasī is Mahālakṣmī herself, supremely auspicious; contact with Tulasī at the time of death—water infused with or strained through her leaves, tilaka, and placing leaves at the mouth, head, or ears—carries even sinners to Hari. The chapter then turns to atithi-dharma. Pavitra and Ānapatya receive the sage Lomaśa with complete hospitality, and Lomaśa declares that the guest embodies Brahmā, Śiva, and Viṣṇu. The text defines an “atithi” and lays down conduct, insisting that any unexpected visitor—of any varṇa, even from marginalized groups—should be honored, bringing immense merit, while neglect destroys accumulated merit. An exemplum from a time of famine shows a destitute couple attaining Viṣṇu by feeding a guest. Finally, a rat is slain yet liberated through contact with a Tulasī leaf and the utterance of Hari’s name, reaffirming Tulasī’s saving potency.