Shloka 58

गृहस्थस्य सदाचारः: शौच, तर্পण, वैश्वदेव, अतिथिधर्म, भोजन-विधि, संध्योपासन, ऋतु-धर्मः

Devanagari script

ततो गोदोहमात्रं वै कालं तिष्ठेद् गृहाङ्गणे अतिथिग्रहणार्थाय तदूर्ध्वं वा यथेच्छया

Transliteration

tato godohamātraṃ vai kālaṃ tiṣṭhed gṛhāṅgaṇe atithigrahaṇārthāya tadūrdhvaṃ vā yathecchayā

Translation

Thereafter he should stand in the courtyard of his home for the time it takes to milk a cow, so that a guest may be received; beyond that, he may wait longer, as he wishes.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमसूचक (thereafter)

• गोदोहमात्रम्: (for) the duration of a cow-milking
• गोदोहमात्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोदोह + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘गोदोहेन मितम्’ (measured by the time of milking a cow)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/उपपद (indeed)

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• तिष्ठेत्: should stand/wait
• तिष्ठेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• गृहाङ्गणे: in the house-courtyard
• गृहाङ्गणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह + अङ्गण (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘गृहस्य अङ्गणम्’

• अतिथिग्रहणार्थाय: for the purpose of receiving a guest
• अतिथिग्रहणार्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि + ग्रहण + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘अतिथेः ग्रहणस्य अर्थः’ (purpose of receiving a guest)

• तदूर्ध्वम्: after that
• तदूर्ध्वम्: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् + ऊर्ध्व (प्रातिपदिक; अव्ययीभावार्थ)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्ययीभावः—‘ततः ऊर्ध्वम्’ (after that)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Disjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (or)

• यथेच्छया: as desired
• यथेच्छया: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा + इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्ययीभावः—‘यथा इच्छा (तथा)’ = इच्छानुसारम् (as one wishes)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Householder dharma: waiting to receive atithi (guest) for a prescribed time (godohamātra)

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: practical and prescriptive

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: A gṛhastha should intentionally make time to receive guests, waiting at the threshold for a defined period and longer if willing.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Build a daily habit of availability—keep a small window for hospitality/assistance before turning to private routines.

Vishishtadvaita: Service (seva) to living beings is a concrete expression of śeṣatva—living as one who exists to serve within the Lord’s order.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Atithi (guest)

FAQs

What is the significance of waiting for a guest (atithi) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames hospitality as an intentional duty: the householder should visibly make time to receive an unexpected guest, treating atithi-sevā as a direct support of dharma and social harmony.

How does Sage Parāśara explain proper household conduct in this context?

Parāśara gives a practical rule—wait in the courtyard for a defined period (godoha-mātra) to welcome guests—showing that dharma is lived through concrete, repeatable actions rather than mere ideals.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching reflects Vaishnava dharma: sustaining righteous order through disciplined household life is part of living under Vishnu’s supreme governance of the cosmos and moral law.