Shloka 72
Kṛṣṇādi-Śivabhaktoddhāraṇa & Śiva-māhātmya-varṇana
Deliverance of Krishna and other devotees; Description of Shiva’s Greatness
कदाचिदतिथिः कश्चित्क्षुत्तृषाक्षामतर्षितः । तामुवाच स भर्ता ते क्व गतश्चेति तं च सा
kadācidatithiḥ kaścitkṣuttṛṣākṣāmatarṣitaḥ | tāmuvāca sa bhartā te kva gataśceti taṃ ca sā
Once, a certain guest arrived, worn out by hunger and thirst. Then her husband said to her, “Where have you gone?”—and she, in turn, replied to him.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana account to the sages, inferred from Purana narrative frame)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shakti Form: Annapūrṇā
Role: nurturing
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It highlights dharma in the householder’s life: receiving a weary guest with care is a sacred act that purifies the mind and supports the Shaiva path of right conduct leading toward grace (anugraha).
In Shaiva thought, serving a guest with reverence is akin to serving Shiva present in all beings; such conduct becomes a lived form of Saguna devotion where worship extends beyond the shrine into daily duty.
Practice mindful atithi-sevā: offer water and food with inner remembrance of Shiva (e.g., silent japa of the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), treating service as worship.