Shloka 26
Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline
अतिथिर्यस्य भग्नाशो गृहात् प्रतिनिवर्तते,जिसके घरसे अतिथि निराश लौट जाता है, उसके यहाँसे अतिथिका सत्कार न होनेके कारण देवता, पितर तथा अग्नि भी निराश लौट जाते हैं
atithir yasya bhagnāśo gṛhāt pratinivartate, tasya gṛhāt atithi-satkārābhāvāt devatāḥ pitaro 'gnir api bhagnāśāḥ pratinivartante
Dharma berkata: “Bila seorang tamu kembali dari rumah seseorang dengan harapan yang patah dan tanpa terpenuhi, maka dari rumah itu pula—karena tamu tidak dihormati sebagaimana mestinya—para dewa, para Pitṛ, bahkan api suci pun berbalik pergi dengan kecewa.”
धर्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hospitality (atithi-satkāra) is a central duty of the householder: if a guest leaves disappointed, it signifies a breach of dharma that also negates the household’s connection to gods, ancestors, and the sacred fire—symbols of blessing, lineage-obligation, and ritual order.
Dharma is instructing about righteous conduct in the Anuśāsana Parva. He frames the ethical consequence of neglecting a guest: the failure is not merely social but cosmic-ritual, as devatās, pitṛs, and Agni are said to ‘turn back’ when hospitality is denied.