Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 91, Shloka 54
भरद्वाजाश्रमे भरतसैन्यस्य दिव्यात्मिथ्यम् / Divine Hospitality to Bharata’s Army at Bharadvaja’s Hermitage
उच्छाद्य स्नापयन्ति स्म नदीतीरेष वल्गुषु।अप्येकमेकं पुरषं प्रमदास्सप्त चाष्ट च।।।।
ucchādya snāpayanti sma nadītīreṣu valguṣu |
apy ekam ekaṃ puruṣaṃ pramadāḥ sapta cāṣṭa ca ||
На прекрасных берегах реки семь или восемь женщин по очереди прислуживали каждому мужчине: умащали и растирали его, а затем омывали.
Every single warrior was attended by seven or eight women who applied oil and massaged his body and bathed him on the lovely banks of the river.
FAQs
The verse highlights अतिथि-धर्म (the duty of hospitality): guests and dependents are to be cared for with dignity, comfort, and due attention.
Bharadvāja’s arrangements provide abundant, refined service to Bharata’s large retinue, including bathing and personal attendance on the river-bank.
Generosity and meticulous hospitality—an ideal of righteous household/āśrama conduct extended even to a vast army.