Shloka 70
Kṛṣṇādi-Śivabhaktoddhāraṇa & Śiva-māhātmya-varṇana
Deliverance of Krishna and other devotees; Description of Shiva’s Greatness
गुप्तो वा मुनिशालायां भिक्षुरायाति तद्गृहम् । भार्य्यामुवाच यः कश्चिदवश्यं निर्धनो यतः
gupto vā muniśālāyāṃ bhikṣurāyāti tadgṛham | bhāryyāmuvāca yaḥ kaścidavaśyaṃ nirdhano yataḥ
Dù người ấy lén đến từ một am thất của bậc hiền triết, hay đến nhà ấy như một vị khất sĩ xin ăn—dù là ai—ông nói với vợ mình: “Hẳn người ấy nghèo, nên mới tìm đến đây.”
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya, within the Uma Samhita discourse)
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
It highlights the householder’s dharma of recognizing need and responding with compassion; in Shaiva thought, serving the needy and the renunciate refines the pashu (bound soul) toward Shiva-centered purity and grace.
While not naming the Linga directly, it reflects Saguna Shiva worship in daily life: honoring Shiva through respectful reception of guests and mendicants, treating them as worthy of reverence rather than suspicion.
Practice atithi-seva as a Shaiva discipline: offer food/water with the remembrance of Shiva (e.g., inwardly repeating the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and cultivate non-judgmental charity toward those who arrive seeking support.