Shloka 11
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
श्रान्तमध्वनि वर्तन्तं वृद्धमर्हमुपस्थितम् । अर्चयेद् भूतिमन्विच्छन् गृहस्थो गृहमागतम्
śrāntam adhvani vartantaṃ vṛddham arham upasthitam | arcayed bhūtim anvicchan gṛhastho gṛham āgatam ||
വഴിയിൽ നടന്ന് ക്ഷീണിച്ച, വൃദ്ധനും ആദരണീയനുമായ യാത്രികൻ വീട്ടിലെത്തിയാൽ, സ്വന്തം ക്ഷേമം ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്ന ഗൃഹസ്ഥൻ അവനെ യഥോചിതമായി ആദരിച്ചു സ്വീകരിക്കണം।
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A householder should honor a weary, elderly, worthy traveler who arrives as a guest; such reverent hospitality is presented as a direct means to one’s own welfare and auspicious prosperity (bhūti).
Nārada states a rule of conduct for householders: when an exhausted traveler—especially an aged and deserving person—comes to the home, the proper response is to receive and honor him respectfully, treating the guest as an object of reverence.