Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23
अर्घेण शंभुः पाद्येन सर्वे देवाः सवासवाः । भोज्यदानेन विष्णुः स्यात्सर्वदेवमयोऽतिथिः
argheṇa śaṃbhuḥ pādyena sarve devāḥ savāsavāḥ | bhojyadānena viṣṇuḥ syātsarvadevamayo'tithiḥ
Par l’offrande d’arghya, Śambhu est honoré ; par l’eau pour laver les pieds, tous les dieux avec Indra sont honorés ; et par le don de nourriture, Viṣṇu est honoré — car l’hôte est l’incarnation de toutes les divinités.
Narrative voice (Purāṇic narrator; not explicitly named in this verse)
Scene: A host performs three offerings to a guest: arghya in a small vessel, pādya water for feet, and a meal; above the guest appear subtle divine overlays—Śiva, the devas with Indra, and Viṣṇu—showing the guest as sarvadevamaya.
FAQs
Serving a guest is direct worship: different acts of reception correspond to honoring major deities.
The instruction is embedded in the Śrīhāṭa–Keśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya, presenting tīrtha-piety as lived devotion through hospitality.
Offer arghya, pādya, and food to the guest, understanding these as deity-pleasing offerings.