Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19
तथान्यश्च तृतीयस्तु सूर्योढोऽतिथिरुच्यते । कृते तु भोजने यस्तु रात्रौ वा चाधिगच्छति । तस्य शक्त्या प्रदातव्यं सस्यं च गृहमेधिना
tathānyaśca tṛtīyastu sūryoḍho'tithirucyate | kṛte tu bhojane yastu rātrau vā cādhigacchati | tasya śaktyā pradātavyaṃ sasyaṃ ca gṛhamedhinā
Il est encore un troisième type d’hôte, nommé « l’hôte du couchant » : celui qui arrive au soleil couchant, voire la nuit, après que le repas de la maison a déjà été préparé. À un tel hôte, le maître de maison doit donner, selon ses moyens, grains et provisions.
Narrative voice (Purāṇic narrator; not explicitly named in this verse)
Scene: At dusk, a traveler arrives after the household has eaten; the householder opens a grain jar and offers provisions by lamplight, showing readiness and compassion.
FAQs
Even inconvenient arrivals do not cancel dharma—hospitality should be offered according to one’s means.
This teaching appears within the Śrīhāṭa–Keśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa (Tīrthamāhātmya), framing guest-honor as part of tīrtha-centered righteousness.
Dāna of food-grain/provisions to a guest who arrives after the meal—given in proportion to the householder’s capacity.