Shloka 12
जापक–इक्ष्वाकु–सत्यविवादः
The Jāpaka, Ikṣvāku, and the Dispute on Truth and Merit
भवन्ति चात्र श्लोका:-- अतिथ्थिर्यस्य भग्नाशो गृहात् प्रतिनिवर्तते । स दत्त्वा दुष्कृतं तस्मै पुण्यमादाय गच्छति
bhavanti cātra ślokāḥ— atithir yasya bhagnāśo gṛhāt pratinivartate | sa dattvā duṣkṛtaṃ tasmai puṇyam ādāya gacchati ||
ທີ່ນີ້ຍັງມີການອ້າງອີງຄໍາກະວີວ່າ: «ຖ້າແຂກຜູ້ໜຶ່ງ ຖືກທໍາໃຫ້ຄວາມຫວັງແຕກສະລາຍ ແລະ ຫັນກັບຈາກເຮືອນຂອງຜູ້ໃດ, ເຈົ້າຂອງເຮືອນນັ້ນ ດຸຈັງໄດ້ມອບບາບຂອງຕົນໃຫ້ແຂກ ແລະ ອອກໄປພ້ອມກັບບຸນຂອງແຂກ»។ ຄໍາສອນນີ້ຊີ້ໃຫ້ເຫັນຄ່າທາງຈິດທໍາອັນໜັກໜ່ວງຂອງການປະຕິເສດການຕ້ອນຮັບ ແລະ ຜົນທາງວິນຍານທີ່ບຸນຂອງແຂກຜູ້ຖືກລະເລີຍ ຖືກຖ່າຍອອກຈາກເຈົ້າຂອງເຮືອນຜູ້ປະມາດ.
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Neglecting a guest is a serious breach of dharma: when a guest leaves disappointed, the householder incurs demerit, while the guest’s merit is said to pass away from that householder—highlighting the sacred obligation of hospitality.
Bharadvāja cites an authoritative śloka to reinforce a moral point in the Śānti Parva’s instruction: the ethical and karmic consequences of refusing or failing to honor an atithi are described through the imagery of demerit being ‘given’ and merit being ‘taken away’.