Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6
सत्यं शौचं तपोऽधीतं दत्तमिष्टं शतं समाः । तस्य सर्वमिदं नष्टमतिथिं यो न पूजयेत्
satyaṃ śaucaṃ tapo'dhītaṃ dattamiṣṭaṃ śataṃ samāḥ | tasya sarvamidaṃ naṣṭamatithiṃ yo na pūjayet
సత్యం, శౌచం, తపస్సు, అధ్యయనం, దానం, యజ్ఞాలు—ఇలా వంద సంవత్సరాలు చేసినా; అతిథిని పూజించని వానికి ఇవన్నీ నశిస్తాయి।
Sūta
Scene: A symbolic tableau: piles of ritual implements (yajña ladles, scriptures, rosary) fade or crumble as a guest stands unhonored—showing that dharma without hospitality collapses.
FAQs
Hospitality is a decisive test of dharma; without it, other religious merits become fruitless.
No specific site is named; the verse is a dharma-principle embedded in the māhātmya discourse.
Atithi-pūjā is prescribed as essential, surpassing even long-term austerity, study, charity, and sacrifice.