Shloka 70

Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu

Gṛhastha-Vrata

Devanagari script

अतिथि: पूजितो यस्य गृहस्थस्य तु गच्छति । नान्यस्तस्मात्‌ परो धर्म इति प्राहुर्मनीषिण:

Transliteration

atithiḥ pūjito yasya gṛhasthasya tu gacchati | nānyas tasmāt paro dharma iti prāhur manīṣiṇaḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说：凡居家者，若有宾客来而得其礼敬供养，遂心而去，则于此人而言，再无高于此的法——智者皆如是宣说。

Word by Word

• अतिथिः: guest
• अतिथिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पूजितः: honored, worshipped
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यस्य: of whom/whose
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• गृहस्थस्य: of the householder
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृहस्थ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• तु: indeed, but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• गच्छति: goes, departs
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, Third, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अन्यः: another (any other)
• अन्यः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तस्मात्: than that/from that
• तस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• परः: higher, superior
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धर्मः: duty, dharma
• धर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इति: thus (quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• प्राहुः: they said/declare
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+अह्
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, Third, Plural

• मनीषिणः: the wise (sages)
• मनीषिणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनीषिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• atithi (guest)
• gṛhastha (householder)
• manīṣiṇaḥ (the wise)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The highest dharma for a householder is to honor a guest so that the guest leaves satisfied and respected; hospitality is treated as a paramount moral obligation in domestic life.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana Parva), he emphasizes household ethics by stating that wise authorities regard proper reception of guests as the supreme duty for a gṛhastha.