Hospitality-1

[Guest guest]

Dear srEvaishNavites,

varu-virundhai

aLithirukkum-siRappudaiya maRaivar

 

What is normal and is expected from every soul, has become commercial,

corporate and an industry. Yes, Hospitality industry generates crores

and crores in India and elsewhere. This is supposed to clock

exponential growth in the current fiscal.

 

Our tradition of course expects us to treat the gusts with highest reverence. "athithi dhEvO bhavA!"

 

sri periAzhwAr talks high of the srEvaishNavites who offer their

obesience and respects to the guests.

 

"maRaip perum thE valarthiruppAr, varu-virundhai aLithiruppAr

siRappudaiya maRaiyavar vAzh, thiruvarangam enbadhuvEa" periyAzhwAr thiru-mozhi ;4-8-2;

 

Those who support the srEvaishNavites who reach sri-rangam thiru-mALigaigaL.

These hosts perform -vEdic homam-s regulrly. Alongwith that they also

support the srEvaishNavites in their homes. They do this without

expecting anything in return. That is why they are termed as special

persons-siRappudaiya maRaiyavar.

 

"adhAvadhu, than-thAm thiru-mAligaiyilEa ezhundharuLIna

srEvaishNavargaLai swarUpAnurUpamAga Adharithu, amudhu-seiyap

paNnugai. ippadi, vaidhiga anushtaNathaiyum , bhagavath

samArAdhanathaiyum , ananya-prayOjanamAgach seigiRavargaLai-

siRappudai maRaiayvar.

 

The main point here to be underlined is they do not expect anything quid-pro-quo

 

(to be continued)

vanamamalai padmanabhan

 

Original Message -----

purohit (AT) bigpond (DOT) com

ramanuja

Wednesday, August 04, 2004 12:21 PM

[ramanuja] Hospitality according to Vishnu Purana

Dear bhagavattotamas, please accept my humble obeisance - for

youredification I would like to submit another offering from the

Vishnu Puranaon hospitality. No where else in the dharma shastras is

it so elaboratelyexplained as in the V.P.HospitalityThe householder

is then (after sandhya and vaisvadeva bali) to remain inhis

courtyard to await a stranger (atithi), for as long as it takes to

milka cow (about 12 minutes) or longer if he chooses. If a stranger

comes hemust be worshiped and welcomed with all due hospitality. He

must be offereda seat, and his feet are to be washed. Food should be

respectfully servedand he should be engaged in pleasant conversation.

When he departs, heshould be lovingly farewelled ‹ the host

accompanying him (for a shortdistance). The householder should always

welcome and venerate with greatcare as a guest that stranger who

comes from another country and whose nameand family are not known. A

fellow villager is never considered a guest(atithi). He who eats,

neglecting an unknown stranger, who is poor andfriendless, and who is

desirous of eating, goes to hell. VP 3:11:56 - 60The stranger, who

being disappointed, leaves a house and goes elsewhere,transfers his

own demerit to the owner of the house and takes away

thehouse-holder's merit.Brahma, Prajapati, Indra, Agni, the Vasus and

Aryama are ever present in theperson of a stranger/guest share the

food that is offered to him. ThereforeO best of men! One should

assiduously discharge the duties of hospitality;for one, who eats

without giving any to a stranger/guest, feeds upon sin.Thereupon the

householder must satisfy with well-prepared meals the youngmarried

woman (suvasini), the unwell (duhkhi), the pregnant woman(garbhini),

the aged (vrddha) and the children (balaka) of the house andthen only

he himself should eat. The householder, who eats without firstfeeding

these, feeds upon his own iniquity and after his death is condemnedto

hell to feed upon phlegm. He, who eats, without performing

ablutions,feeds upon filth; he, who eats without doing japa, feeds

upon pus and blood;one who eats unblessed food, drinks urine; and he,

who eats before theinfants and the others (mentioned previously) is

doomed in hell to live onexcrement. (V.P. 3:11:67 ­ 71)In the

evening, the householder, should again, according to his means

showhospitality to any stranger/guest who may come, receiving him

with thesalutation of evening and offering him water to wash his

feet, a seat,supper and a bed. The sin, consequent upon not receiving

hospitably thestranger who comes after sunset, is eight times greater

than that ofneglecting one who comes during the day, A person should

therefore showparticular respect to one who seeks refuge after

sunset, for by veneratinghim all the gods are venerated. The

householder should therefore accordingto his means, give a

stranger/guest rice, vegetables, water, a bed, a mat,or if he cannot

give any thing more, a space on the ground upon which tolie. (V.P.

3:11:103 - 107)DasanudasanSri RamaazhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyAr

thiruvadigalE saranam