Atithi or Guest Reception (study)
by Sarika. P. | 2022 | 41,363 words
This page relates 鈥楻eferences to Hospitality in Pancatantra鈥� of the study on Atithi-Saparya鈥擳he ancient Indian practice of hospitality or 鈥済uest reception鈥� which, in the Indian context, is an exalted practice tracable to the Vedic period. The spirit of Vedic guest-reception (atithi-saparya) is reflected in modern tourism in India, although it has deviated from the original concept. Technically, the Sanskrit term Atithi can be defined as one who arrives from a far place with hunger and thirst during the time of the Vaishvadeva rite鈥攁 ceremony that includes offering cooked food to all Gods.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Part 12 - References to Hospitality in 笔补帽肠补迟补苍迟谤补
痴颈峁ａ箛耻艣补谤尘补苍鈥檚 笔补帽肠补迟补苍迟谤补 refers to atithi-蝉补辫补谤测腻 in many places. In the first part mitrabheda, Damanaka narrates the story of 蝉补帽箩墨惫补办补 to 辫颈峁単补濒补办补. Here he mentions who is an atithi.[1] Another reference to atithi-蝉补辫补谤测腻 comes in the depiction of the story of 顿别惫补艣补谤尘补 and the weaver.
Here comes an episode where the weaver refers to the importance of atithidharma. Thus,
deva艣arm膩pi tam膩lokya prov膩ca鈥斺�渂ho bhadra, 惫补测补峁� s奴ryo岣峢膩岣� atithayastav膩ntika峁� pr膩pt膩岣� | na kamapyatra gr膩me j膩n墨ma岣� | tadg峁沨yat膩matithidharma岣� | 笔补帽肠补迟补苍迟谤补, mitrabheda, story-4
Weaver asked his wife to treat their atithi very well.
Here some proverbs about atithi-蝉补辫补谤测腻 can be seen. That is,
sampr膩pto yo'迟颈迟丑颈岣� 蝉腻测补峁� s奴ryo岣峢o g峁沨amedhin膩m |
p奴jay膩 tasya devatva峁� pray膩nti g峁沨amedhina岣� || ibid., story-4.181
A householder should welcome an atithi who comes in the evening time. Doing this helps them attain heavenly qualities. The description of this concept is in accordance with 厂尘峁泃颈蝉 and 顿丑补谤尘补艣腻蝉迟谤补蝉.
Gautama 顿丑补谤尘补蝉奴迟谤补 says that,
asam膩nagr膩mo'tithiraikar膩trik膩'dhiv峁沰峁s奴ryopasthay墨 |
That is an atithi is one who comes from distant places and intends to stay for one night only and also who arrives at the evening time when sun has come up at the tree top and he should be respected.
According to 惭补苍耻蝉尘峁泃颈,
apra峁噊dyo'迟颈迟丑颈岣� 蝉腻测补峁� s奴ryo岣峢o g峁沨amedhin膩 |
k膩le pr膩ptastvak膩le v膩 n膩sy膩na艣nan g峁沨e vaset || ibid., 3.105
It means: 鈥淎n atithi who comes after sunset should not be turned away-whether he comes in time or not he should not be left hungry鈥�.
笔补帽肠补迟补苍迟谤补 reflecting the concepts of 惭补苍耻蝉尘峁泃颈 also points out the importance of atithi-蝉补辫补谤测腻. According to 惭补苍耻蝉尘峁泃颈, a householder should welcome an atithi by providing him grass-mat for sitting and a proper resting place and water, he should say sweet words also[2]. These are the basic requisites for making the atithi comfortable. The same idea is noticed in the following verse of 笔补帽肠补迟补苍迟谤补,
t峁涐箛膩ni bh奴mirudaka峁� v膩kcaturth墨 ca 蝉奴苍峁泃腻 |
sat膩met膩ni harmeye峁 nocchidyante kad膩cana || ibid., 4.182
It also proclaims that by making an atithi comfortable the householder can please the devatas like Agni, Indra and 艢颈惫补 and also the 辫颈迟峁泂.
Welcoming of atithi make Agnideva happy, providing seat for atithi is benefited by the blessing of Indra, 笔颈迟峁泂 will become happy by washing the feet of the atithi, Lord 艢颈惫补 will be pleased by providing him water.
sv膩gaten膩gnayast峁沺t膩 膩sanena 艣补迟补办谤补迟耻岣� |
p膩da艣aucena pitara岣� argh膩ccha峁僢hustath膩tithe岣�' || ibid., 4.183
During those time people believed that by receiving atithi in such a way brings fortunes to their life. Hence they all considered atithi-蝉补辫补谤测腻 with awe and respect.
惭颈迟谤补蝉补峁僷谤腻辫迟颈[3] explains where should an atithi go. Here some observations about atithi can be seen.
ehy膩gaccha sam膩艣ray膩sanamida峁� kasm膩ccir膩d d峁浥泍ase?
k膩 v膩rt膩 atidurbalo'si ku艣ala峁� pr墨to'smi te dar艣an膩t |
eva峁� ye samup膩gat膩npra峁嘺yina岣� prahl膩dayanty膩dar膩
tte峁Ｄ佱箖 yuktama艣a峁卥itena manas膩 harmy膩峁噄 gantu峁� sad膩 || ibid., 惭颈迟谤补蝉补峁僷谤腻辫迟颈,
驳峁沨墨 yatr膩gata峁� d峁涐梗a峁璿膩 di艣o v墨k峁te v膩pyadha岣� |
tatra ye sadane y膩nti te 艣峁涐箙garahit膩 v峁涐梗膩岣� || ibid., 67
苍腻产丑测耻迟迟丑腻苍补办谤颈测腻 yatra n膩l膩p膩 madhur膩k峁r膩岣� |
gu峁嘺do峁kath膩 naiva tatra harmye na gamyate || ibid., 68, story-1
An atithi who visits a householder who is not willing to treat him properly is a fool according to 笔补帽肠补迟补苍迟谤补. He is a fool; he is just like an ox without horn.
The third tantra opines that there are none who are not deceived by words of an atithi.[4] From this it is evident that whatever said by an atithi is believed by all. 笔补帽肠补迟补苍迟谤补 refers to the demerits of inappropriate treatment of guest who visits in the evening. An atithi who comes in the evening should be treated well unless all the blessings of the householder fall upon the atithi and in turn sin may happen to the householder.[5] The fourth tantra 尝补产诲丑补辫谤补峁嚹伵沘 narrates the beautiful story of Raktamukha the monkey and Kar膩lamukha the crocodile. Raktamukha stays in a jamun tree on a sea shore. Sweet jamun fruits are there in that tree in all seasons. One day from the sea the crocodile Kar膩lamukha arrives there and it sat on the sand bank under that tree. Raktamukha respectfully treats Kar膩lamukha as an atithi and offers him with some sweet jamun fruits which equals the taste of nectar.Then Raktamukha pointing out the greatness of atithi-蝉补辫补谤测腻, A person who arrives after the 惫补颈艣惫补诲别惫补 sacrifice is regarded as an atithi even if he is beloved, enemy or learned one. Do not inquire anything about gotra or Vedic recension of an atithi who has come at the end of 艣谤腻诲诲丑补 or 惫补颈艣惫补诲别惫补 sacrifice. The deities and 辫颈迟峁涐箖蝉 will leave the house in anger if an atithi left the place with a deep sigh owing to not being worshiped.[6]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
[2]:
t峁涐箛膩ni bh奴mirudaka峁� v膩kcaturth墨 ca 蝉奴苍峁泃腻 |
et膩nyapi sat膩峁� gehe nocchidyante kad膩cana || 惭补苍耻蝉尘峁泃颈, 3.101
[3]:
[4]:
abhinavasevakavinayai岣� pr膩ghu峁噄koktairvil膩sin墨ruditai岣� |
j奴rtajanavacananikarairiha ka艣cidava帽cito n膩sti || 120, 笔补帽肠补迟补苍迟谤补, 碍腻办辞濒耻办墨测补, story-4, p.345-505
[5]:
ya岣� s膩yamatithi峁� pr膩pta峁� yath膩艣akti na p奴jayet |
tasy膩sau du峁峁泃a峁� datv膩 suk峁泃a帽c膩pakar峁ti || 154, ibid., story-8, p.527
[6]:
tata艣ca raktamukhena sa 辫谤辞办迟补岣�鈥�
鈥�bho! bhav膩n samabhy膩gato'迟颈迟丑颈岣�,tat bhak峁yatu 尘补测腻 datt膩ni
am峁泃atuly膩ni jamb奴phal膩ni | ukta帽ca鈥�
priyo v膩 yadi v膩 dve峁o m奴rkho v膩 yadi pa峁囜笉ita岣� |
vai艣vadev膩ntam膩panna岣� so'迟颈迟丑颈岣� svargasa峁卥rama岣� || 2
苍补辫峁沜肠丑别迟 肠补谤补峁嘺峁� 驳辞迟谤补峁� na ca 惫颈诲测腻峁� 办耻濒补峁� na ca |
atithi峁� vai艣vadev膩nte 艣r膩ddhe ca manurabrav墨t || 3
d奴ram膩rga艣rama艣r膩nta峁� vai艣vadev膩ntam膩gatam |
atithi峁� p奴jayet yastu sa 测腻迟颈 param膩峁� gatim || 4
ap奴jito'tithiryasya g峁沨膩t 测腻迟颈 vini艣vasan |
gacchanti vimukh膩stasya pit峁沚hi岣� saha 诲别惫补迟腻岣�鈥� || 5
鈥敱什姑背Σ钩俨共猿侔�, 尝补产诲丑补辫谤补峁嚹伵沘, story-1, p.618-619