Shloka 43
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
येन येन च तुष्येत नित्यमेव त्वयातिथि: । अप्यात्मन: प्रदानेन न ते कार्या विचारणा
yena yena ca tuṣyet nityam eva tvayātithiḥ | apy ātmanaḥ pradānena na te kāryā vicāraṇā ||
Бхишма сказал: «Чем бы ни был доволен гость (атитхи), это ты должна всегда ему дать. И даже если ради его удовлетворения придётся принести в дар саму себя, не допускай ни колебания, ни сомнения.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches uncompromising atithi-dharma: one should give whatever genuinely pleases a guest, without hesitation—even to the extent of offering one’s own self—because honoring the guest is treated as a paramount ethical duty.
Bhīṣma is instructing on dharma, specifically the duties of householders toward guests. He emphasizes that the host must prioritize the guest’s satisfaction and should not waver or calculate when fulfilling this obligation.