Shloka 70
गृहस्थस्य सदाचारः: शौच, तर্পण, वैश्वदेव, अतिथिधर्म, भोजन-विधि, संध्योपासन, ऋतु-धर्मः
तस्माद् अतिथिपूजायां यतेत सततं नरः स केवलम् अघं भुङ्क्ते यो भुङ्क्ते त्व् अतिथिं विना
tasmād atithipūjāyāṃ yateta satataṃ naraḥ sa kevalam aghaṃ bhuṅkte yo bhuṅkte tv atithiṃ vinā
Therefore one should always strive to honour and serve the guest; for whoever eats while neglecting the guest truly consumes only sin.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Why atithi-pūjā must precede one’s own eating; moral consequence of selfish consumption.
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: stern admonition
Concept: Eating without honoring the guest is spiritually self-destructive: one ‘eats sin’ by prioritizing oneself over dharmic obligation.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Before personal enjoyment, first fulfill responsibilities—share food, time, and attention with dependents, visitors, and those in need.
Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is a mode of worship: self-restraint and service align the individual will with the Lord’s sustaining order.
Bhakti Type: Dasya
FAQs
This verse presents hospitality as a core dharma: eating without first serving the guest is treated as accruing sin, showing that personal consumption must be subordinated to social and moral duty.
Parāśara states that the act of eating while ignoring an atithi is not neutral—it becomes spiritually harmful, as the meal is figuratively transformed into ‘only sin’ due to the breach of dharma.
Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching assumes a Vishnu-centered cosmos where dharma is the law upheld by the Supreme; everyday ethics like hospitality participate in that divine order.