Shloka 56
Pitāmaha-sabhā-varṇana & Hariścandra-māhātmya
Description of Brahmā’s Assembly and the Eminence of Hariścandra
अतिथीनागतान् देवान् दैत्यान् नागांस्तथा द्विजान् | यक्षान् सुपर्णान् कालेयान् गन्धर्वाप्सरसस्तथा,अगाध बुद्धिवाले दयालु लोकपितामह ब्रह्माजी अपने यहाँ आये हुए सभी महाभाग अतिथियों--देवता, दैत्य, नाग, पक्षी, यक्ष, सुपर्ण, कालेय, गन्धर्व तथा अप्सराओं एवं सम्पूर्ण भूतोंसे यथायोग्य मिलते हैं और उन्हें अनुगृहीत करते हैं
atithīn āgatān devān daityān nāgāṁs tathā dvijān | yakṣān suparṇān kāleyān gandharvāpsarasas tathā ||
Nārada berkata: “Brahmā, datuk agung segala alam—berakal budi yang tak terduga dalamnya dan berbelas kasihan menurut fitrah—menyambut dengan penghormatan yang wajar semua tetamu mulia yang datang kepadanya: para dewa, Dānava, Nāga, kaum dwija, Yakṣa, Suparṇa, Kāleya, serta Gandharva dan Apsara.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores atithi-dharma: the duty to welcome and honor guests appropriately. Brahmā’s impartial reception of diverse beings models ethical conduct grounded in compassion and propriety, not in prejudice or faction.
Nārada describes Brahmā’s court as a place where many classes of beings—divine, semi-divine, and demonic—arrive as guests and are received with fitting respect, emphasizing Brahmā’s role as universal grandsire and upholder of order.