Shloka 70
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
अतिथि: पूजितो यस्य गृहस्थस्य तु गच्छति । नान्यस्तस्मात् परो धर्म इति प्राहुर्मनीषिण:,“जिस गृहस्थके घरपर आया हुआ अतिथि पूजित होकर जाता है उसके लिये उससे बढ़कर दूसरा कोई धर्म नहीं है--ऐसा मनीषी पुरुष कहते हैं
atithiḥ pūjito yasya gṛhasthasya tu gacchati | nānyas tasmāt paro dharma iti prāhur manīṣiṇaḥ ||
Bhīṣma disse: Para o chefe de família de cuja casa um hóspede parte depois de ter sido devidamente honrado, não há dever mais elevado do que este—assim declaram os sábios.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The highest dharma for a householder is to honor a guest so that the guest leaves satisfied and respected; hospitality is treated as a paramount moral obligation in domestic life.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana Parva), he emphasizes household ethics by stating that wise authorities regard proper reception of guests as the supreme duty for a gṛhastha.