Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26
राजा वा ब्राह्मणो वाथ शूद्रो वाप्यंत्यजोऽपि वा । वैश्वदेवान्तसंप्राप्तः सोऽतिथिः स्वर्गसंक्रमः
rājā vā brāhmaṇo vātha śūdro vāpyaṃtyajo'pi vā | vaiśvadevāntasaṃprāptaḥ so'tithiḥ svargasaṃkramaḥ
Seja rei, brāhmaṇa, śūdra, ou mesmo o mais marginalizado—quem chega no tempo devido da oferenda do Vaiśvadeva é, de fato, um atithi, um portal para o céu.
Jamadagni
Scene: A household/tīrtha setting at dusk or meal-time: a guest arrives as the Vaiśvadeva offering is being prepared; people of varied social ranks stand together, and the host bows, offering food as if to a divine presence.
FAQs
Guest-honor transcends social status; serving an atithi at the proper time is spiritually elevating and leads to heavenly merit.
No named tīrtha; the verse universalizes dharma within the sacred-travel narrative of tīrtha-māhātmya.
Vaiśvadeva is referenced as the ritual-meal offering context; the arriving person at that time should be treated as an atithi and fed.