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
Una vez llegó cierto huésped, agotado por el hambre y la sed. Entonces su esposo le dijo: «¿Adónde has ido?»—y ella, a su vez, le respondió.
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.