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:
atithiḥ pūjito yasya gṛhasthasya tu gacchati | nānyas tasmāt paro dharma iti prāhur manīṣiṇaḥ ||
“எந்த இல்லறத்தாரின் வீட்டிலிருந்து விருந்தினர் போற்றப்பட்டு புறப்படுகிறாரோ, அவர்க்கு இதைவிட உயர்ந்த தர்மம் வேறில்லை—என்று ஞானிகள் கூறுவர்.”
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.