Shloka 28
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
सकृज्जातिगुणोपेत: संगत्या गृहमागत: । अतिथि: पूजितो ब्रह्मंस्तेन मां नाजहात् स्मृति:
sakṛj jātiguṇopetaḥ saṅgatyā gṛham āgataḥ | atithiḥ pūjito brahman tena māṁ nājahāt smṛtiḥ ||
ແມງນ້ອຍນັ້ນກ່າວວ່າ: “ຄັ້ງໜຶ່ງ ແຂກຄົນໜຶ່ງ—ພຣາຫມັນຜູ້ມີຄຸນທຳສົມກັບຊາດກຳເນີດ—ໄດ້ມາຮອດເຮືອນຂ້ອຍໂດຍບັງເອີນ. ຂ້ອຍໄດ້ບູຊາແລະຕ້ອນຮັບທ່ານດ້ວຍພິທີຕາມຄວນ. ໂອ ພຣາຫມັນ! ເພາະການກະທຳນັ້ນ ຄວາມຈື່ຈຳຂອງຂ້ອຍຈຶ່ງບໍ່ໄດ້ຈາກໄປເຖິງບັດນີ້.”
कीट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a single sincere act of atithi-dharma—reverent hospitality to an unexpected guest—can generate lasting merit (puṇya) with profound consequences, here shown as the retention of past-life memory. The verse underscores the ethical weight of small but genuine righteous deeds.
An insect, speaking to a Brahmin, explains why it still retains recollection of a previous birth: in that former life it once honored a Brahmin guest who arrived unexpectedly. The insect attributes its unusual continuity of memory to the power of that meritorious act.