Shloka 22
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
न तथा हविषो होमैर्न पुष्पैननिलेपनै: । अग्नय: पार्थ तुष्यन्ति यथा हृतिथिभोजने,कुन्तीनन्दन! अतिथियोंको भोजन करानेसे अग्निदेव जितने संतुष्ट होते हैं, उतना संतोष उन्हें हविष्यका हवन करने तथा पुष्प और चन्दन चढ़ानेसे भी नहीं होता
na tathā haviṣo homair na puṣpair anilepanaiḥ | agnayaḥ pārtha tuṣyanti yathā hṛtithibhojane, kuntīnandana ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O Pārtha, son of Kuntī—Fire is not pleased so much by oblations poured in sacrifice, nor by offerings of flowers and fragrant unguents, as he is by the feeding of guests with a willing heart.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
True religious merit is not limited to ritual offerings; heartfelt hospitality—feeding guests (atithi-bhojana) with sincerity—pleases Agni and upholds dharma more deeply than external acts like homa, flowers, or perfumes.
In Mārkaṇḍeya’s instruction to Pārtha (Arjuna) during the Vana Parva discourse, he emphasizes practical dharma: honoring and feeding guests is presented as a superior, living form of sacrifice that directly satisfies the divine principle of fire.