Shloka 15
चत्वारोऽाश्रमाः — ब्रह्मचर्यादि मोक्षाश्रमपर्यन्तम्
The Four Āśramas as a graded path to mokṣa
अतिथिर् यस्य भग्नाशो गृहात् प्रतिनिवर्तते स दत्त्वा दुष्कृतं तस्मै पुण्यम् आदाय गच्छति
atithir yasya bhagnāśo gṛhāt pratinivartate sa dattvā duṣkṛtaṃ tasmai puṇyam ādāya gacchati
अतिथिर्यस्य भग्नाशो गृहात् प्रतिनिवर्तते, स तस्मै दुष्कृतं दत्त्वा गृहिणः पुण्यमादाय गच्छति।
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
FAQs
This verse teaches that hospitality is not merely social courtesy but a karmic duty: refusing a guest causes one’s merit to be lost and the guest’s demerit to be incurred.
Parāśara presents karma as transferable in effect through conduct: a disappointed guest ‘leaves behind’ duṣkṛta for the host and ‘takes away’ the host’s puṇya, emphasizing immediate ethical accountability.
Even without naming Vishnu directly, the teaching supports Vaishnava dharma: upholding righteous order in daily life aligns the householder with the cosmic sovereignty of Vishnu, the sustainer of dharma.