Shloka 50
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
आतिदथ्यं कृतमिच्छामि त्वयाद्य वरवर्णिनि । प्रमाणं यदि धर्मस्ते गृहस्थाभ्रमसम्मत:,“वरवर्णिनि! यदि तुम गृहस्थसम्मत धर्मको मान्य समझती हो तो आज मैं तुम्हारे द्वारा किया गया आतिथ्यसत्कार ग्रहण करना चाहता हूँ
ātithyaṁ kṛtam icchāmi tvayādya varavarṇini | pramāṇaṁ yadi dharmas te gṛhasthābhramasammataḥ ||
“వరవర్ణినీ! గృహస్థులకు సమ్మతమైన ఆచారధర్మమే నీకు ప్రమాణమైతే, ఈ రోజు నీవు సమర్పించిన అతిథి-సత్కారాన్ని నేను స్వీకరించదలచుకున్నాను.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hospitality (ātithya) is treated as a concrete expression of dharma, and its legitimacy is grounded in an accepted social-ethical standard—here, the norms approved within gṛhastha-dharma (householder conduct).
Bhīṣma addresses a noble lady and states that he wishes to accept the hospitality she has offered, framing his acceptance in terms of what is considered authoritative and proper according to the householders’ code of dharma.