Shloka 93
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
पात्र त्वतिथिमासाद्य शीलादढूयं यो न पूजयेत् । स दत्त्वा दुष्कृतं तस्मै पुण्यमादाय गच्छति
pātraṃ tv atithim āsādya śīlādhyūyaṃ yo na pūjayet | sa dattvā duṣkṛtaṃ tasmai puṇyam ādāya gacchati ||
Bhishma dit : lorsqu’arrive un hôte digne —apte à recevoir les honneurs et de bonne conduite—, si le maître de maison ne lui offre pas l’accueil et le respect convenables, cet atithi s’en va en emportant le mérite de l’hôte et en lui laissant son démérite.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A worthy guest must be honored appropriately; failing to do so causes the householder to lose merit (puṇya) and incur demerit (duṣkṛta). Hospitality is presented as a direct moral and karmic obligation within gṛhastha-dharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he warns about the consequences of neglecting a deserving atithi. The verse frames the guest as a moral ‘carrier’ who, when dishonored, departs symbolically transferring the host’s merit away and leaving sin behind.