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 other point to be noted here is that 'varu-virundhu' is 'vianith-thogai'

indicating three tenses. All the three periods, past, present and future. That

is , they receive the guests in all the three periods, ever taking care of the

srEvaishNavites.

 

 

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

[Guest guest]

Very beautiful.

Are you from Thirukkoshtiur?

Sri Ramanuja Dasan,

R. Padmanabhan,

Branch Accountant,

Fenner (India) Ltd.,

9-1-87, S.D. Road,

Secunderabad.

A.P.

Tel: 040 27703042; 040 27804038

Cell: 040 31109751

Fax: 040 27703770

Email: padmanabhan (AT) fennermail (DOT) com

[Guest guest]

Dear swAmy, I hail from vAna-mA-malai.

 

How this doubt emerged suddenly/

regards

padmanabhan

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Padmanabhan,

The way you have expressed the Virundhombal,

I remembered the Periyalwar's Pasuram

about Thirukkoshtiyur.

Though I know that you are from Vanamamalai,

by seeing the vyakyanam,

I was feeling that you must be from

Thirukkoshtiyur.

Sri Ramanuja Dasan,

R. Padmanabhan,

Branch Accountant,

Fenner (India) Ltd.,

9-1-87, S.D. Road,

Secunderabad.

A.P.

Tel: 040 27703042; 040 27804038

Cell: 040 31109751

Fax: 040 27703770

Email: padmanabhan (AT) fennermail (DOT) com