Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 23
तस्मै दत्त्वा तु यो भुंक्ते स तु भुंक्तेऽमृतं नरः । अतिथिर्यस्य भग्नाशो गृहात्प्रति निवर्तते
tasmai dattvā tu yo bhuṃkte sa tu bhuṃkte'mṛtaṃ naraḥ | atithiryasya bhagnāśo gṛhātprati nivartate
L’homme qui ne mange qu’après avoir donné à l’hôte goûte vraiment à l’amṛta, le nectar de l’immortalité. Mais celui de la maison duquel un hôte s’en retourne, l’espérance brisée—
Parāśara (contextual: instruction on dharma to Yudhiṣṭhira)
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (implied by surrounding dialogue)
Scene: A householder pauses before eating, offering a portion of food to a weary guest at the threshold; the guest’s ‘hope’ is shown as a fragile lamp that must not be extinguished.
FAQs
A householder should feed and honor a guest first; only then is one’s own enjoyment considered pure and life-giving.
No single tīrtha is named in this verse; the emphasis is on universal gṛhastha-dharma within the Dharmāraṇya context.
Dāna to an atithi—giving food or sustenance before taking one’s own meal.