Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 69
ऋषय ऊचुः । एतदेव मुनेऽस्माकमातिथ्यं कोटिसंमितम् । अल्पायुरपि ते बालो यज्जातो मृत्युवर्जितः
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | etadeva mune'smākamātithyaṃ koṭisaṃmitam | alpāyurapi te bālo yajjāto mṛtyuvarjitaḥ
The sages said: “This alone, O sage, is hospitality to us worth millions—that though your child was destined for a short life, he has been born free from Death.”
Ṛṣis (the sages)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Muni (Mṛkaṇḍa)
Scene: A circle of radiant sages speak to Mṛkaṇḍa, blessing him; the child stands nearby as a symbol of life restored, with a subdued shadow of Death receding.
FAQs
The greatest ‘offering’ to the holy is the fulfillment of dharma through divine grace—life protected and uplifted becomes the highest hospitality.
The tīrtha context remains the Nāgarakhaṇḍa sacred locale by the āśrama and lake; the verse underscores the fruit of holiness manifesting there.
No new ritual is prescribed; the sages redefine ātithya as the auspicious outcome (boon) already granted.