Adhyaya 24 — Kuvalayashva’s Refusal of Gifts and the Vision of Madalasa’s Maya
अश्वतर उवाच तस्मात् पश्येह वत्स ! त्वं मायाञ्चेद् द्रष्टुमिच्छसि ।
अनुग्राह्यो भवान् गेहं बालोऽप्यभ्यागतो गुरुः ॥
aśvatara uvāca tasmāt paśyeha vatsa ! tvaṃ māyāñced draṣṭumicchasi / anugrāhyo bhavān gehaṃ bālo 'pyabhyāgato guruḥ
อัศวตรกล่าวว่า: เพราะฉะนั้น ลูกเอ๋ย หากเจ้าปรารถนาจะเห็นมายา ก็จงดูที่นี่เถิด เจ้าเป็นผู้ควรแก่พระกรุณา; ในเรือน แม้เด็กที่มาในฐานะแขกก็พึงได้รับการยกย่องดุจครู.
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The householder ethic (gṛhastha-dharma) sanctifies hospitality: the guest is to be revered regardless of age. The verse also shows that higher beings may reveal extraordinary sights only within a framework of dharma (anugraha).
Though embedded in narrative (ānucarita), it explicitly teaches dharma (atithi-satkāra), a common Purāṇic function alongside pancalakṣaṇa material.
‘Guest as guru’ implies that awakening can arrive in unexpected forms; reverence opens the channel for revelation. Māyā is not merely deception—it can be a pedagogical display when governed by dharma.