Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 10
Pṛthu Mahārāja Meets the Four Kumāras: Bhakti as the Boat Across Saṁsāra
अधना अपि ते धन्या: साधवो गृहमेधिन: । यद्गृहा ह्यर्हवर्याम्बुतृणभूमीश्वरावरा: ॥ १० ॥
adhanā api te dhanyāḥ sādhavo gṛha-medhinaḥ yad-gṛhā hy arha-varyāmbu- tṛṇa-bhūmīśvarāvarāḥ
即使家主并不富有，只要圣者与主的奉献者来到其家中，他便得荣耀。主人与仆从为尊贵来宾奉上净水、座位与迎接之具，那宅第本身亦随之蒙福而光显。
Materially, if a man is not very rich he is not glorious; and spiritually, if a man is too attached to family life he is also not glorious. But saintly persons are quite ready to visit the house of a poor man or a man who is attached to material family life. When this happens, the owner of the house and his servants are glorified because they offer water for washing the feet of a saintly person, sitting places and other things to receive him. The conclusion is that if a saintly person goes to the house of even an unimportant man, such a person becomes glorious by his blessings. It is therefore the Vedic system that a householder invite a saintly person in his home to receive his blessings. This system is still current in India, and therefore saintly persons, wherever they go, are hosted by the householders, who in turn get an opportunity to receive transcendental knowledge. It is the duty of a sannyāsī, therefore, to travel everywhere just to favor the householders, who are generally ignorant of the values of spiritual life.
FAQs
This verse praises saintly householders as truly blessed because their homes become sanctified by the presence of worshipable persons and the sacred elements used in devotional and Vedic observances.
In instructing Pṛthu, the Kumāras highlight that devotion is not limited to renunciation; even household life becomes exalted when centered on honoring the Lord, devotees, and sacred worship practices.
Make the home a place of sādhana—welcome devotees, keep devotional cleanliness, offer simple worship with reverence, and live family life in service and remembrance of the Lord.