Shloka 93
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
पात्र त्वतिथिमासाद्य शीलादढूयं यो न पूजयेत् । स दत्त्वा दुष्कृतं तस्मै पुण्यमादाय गच्छति
pātraṃ tv atithim āsādya śīlādhyūyaṃ yo na pūjayet | sa dattvā duṣkṛtaṃ tasmai puṇyam ādāya gacchati ||
毗湿摩说：若有堪受礼敬、品行端正之宾客到来，而居士不以相称之礼迎接供奉，则此宾客将离去，携走居士之福德，反将其罪垢留与居士。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A worthy guest must be honored appropriately; failing to do so causes the householder to lose merit (puṇya) and incur demerit (duṣkṛta). Hospitality is presented as a direct moral and karmic obligation within gṛhastha-dharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he warns about the consequences of neglecting a deserving atithi. The verse frames the guest as a moral ‘carrier’ who, when dishonored, departs symbolically transferring the host’s merit away and leaving sin behind.