Shloka 26
Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline
अतिथिर्यस्य भग्नाशो गृहात् प्रतिनिवर्तते,जिसके घरसे अतिथि निराश लौट जाता है, उसके यहाँसे अतिथिका सत्कार न होनेके कारण देवता, पितर तथा अग्नि भी निराश लौट जाते हैं
atithir yasya bhagnāśo gṛhāt pratinivartate, tasya gṛhāt atithi-satkārābhāvāt devatāḥ pitaro 'gnir api bhagnāśāḥ pratinivartante
Sinabi ni Dharma: “Kapag ang isang panauhin ay umalis sa bahay ng isang tao na bigo at hindi napagbigyan, kung gayon mula sa bahay ring iyon—dahil hindi siya pinarangalan nang nararapat—ang mga diyos, ang mga ninuno, at maging ang sagradong apoy ay bumabalik na bigo.”
धर्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hospitality (atithi-satkāra) is a central duty of the householder: if a guest leaves disappointed, it signifies a breach of dharma that also negates the household’s connection to gods, ancestors, and the sacred fire—symbols of blessing, lineage-obligation, and ritual order.
Dharma is instructing about righteous conduct in the Anuśāsana Parva. He frames the ethical consequence of neglecting a guest: the failure is not merely social but cosmic-ritual, as devatās, pitṛs, and Agni are said to ‘turn back’ when hospitality is denied.