Mahabharata 3.201.61 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 61
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
पृच्छते हुन्नदातारं गृहमायाति चाशया । त॑ पूजयाथ यत्नेन सो3तिथित्रद्यमिणश्व॒ सः
pṛcchate hy annadātāraṃ gṛham āyāti cāśayā | taṃ pūjayātha yatnena so 'tithir dharmam īkṣate ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Él pregunta por el dador de alimento y llega a la casa con esperanza. Por ello, honra a ese huésped con esmerada atención; pues el huésped encarna y pone a prueba el dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches atithi-dharma: a guest arrives with hope and should be received with deliberate respect and care. Honoring the guest is presented as a direct expression of dharma, and the guest’s presence functions as a moral test of the householder’s conduct.
Vaiśampāyana states a general rule of conduct: when a guest comes to a home seeking sustenance and goodwill, the householders should honor him attentively. The statement frames hospitality not as mere courtesy but as a dharmic obligation.
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