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 ||
Disse o inseto: “Certa vez, um hóspede—um brâmane dotado das virtudes próprias de seu nascimento—chegou à minha casa por acaso. Eu o honrei com a hospitalidade devida. Ó brâmane, por causa desse ato, minha memória não me deixou nem mesmo agora.”
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.