The Importance of Honouring a Guest

Jaimini said:

1. O glorious one, tell me in detail again about tulasi's greatness destroying sins, so also about the importance of honouring a guest. Suta said:

2. Then, O best brahmana, that very lustrous Vyasa, started telling the greatness of tulasi, destroying the sins of the listeners. Vyasa said:

3-4. This tulasi, dear to the lord, is actually great Laksml. Therefore, O Jaimini they do not recognise it as a tree. As a mortal always worships tulasi on the earth, so gods along with Indra worship it in heaven.

5-6. I am telling firmly that everything is prosperous there only where this tulasi, of the nature of the highest Brahman, stands. Even a sinner who gets, at the time of his death, water dropped from a leaf of tulasi, goes near Vishnu.

7. He who would have, at the time of his death, a vertical sectarian mark (urdhvapundra) is freed from all sins and goes to Vishnu.

8. O best brahmana, Yama is not the master of him who Would have a tulasi leaf in his mouth, on his head or in his ears at the time of his death.

9-12a. There was a pious brahmana by name Pavitra, who knew the highest truth. His wife had the name Bahula. The chaste lady belonged to a good family and was highly devoted to serving her husband. There (also) lived an excellent brahmana named Anapatyapati. That Pavitra, serving brahmanas, formed friendship with him. Then, O best one, Pavitra, through love (for his friend) and with a desire to have talk, sat with Anapatyapati on an excellent seat.

12b-13a. In the meanwhile a good brahmana, of a great lustre, named Lomasa, came there and saw the two telling (each other) wonderful stories.

13b-14a. Then the two brahmanas, getting up from the seat, honoured that brahmana Lomasa with water for washing his feet, with respectful offerings and water for rinsing his mouth.

14b-16a. That Lomasa, highly devoted to Vishnu, was very much pleased with them, and narrating (tales of) Vishnu, sat on the seat, O best brahmana. The two sages, Pavitra and Anapatya, said devoutly to the magnanimous Lomasa who had joined the palms of his hands:

16b-20a. " O revered one, O you who know all the worldly practices, indeed our hermitage is purified by the couple of your feet which are fit to be seized (i.e. touched) by the good. By seeing the couple of your feet, all the sins that we had formerly committed through delusion, have perished. You are actually lord Vishnu fit to be worshipped even by gods. How are we, men, able to worship you properly? With the worship that we have, according to our capacity, offered to you, our guest, be pleased. Pardon the faults of us two."

20bc. O best brahmana, speaking like this, the two highsouled friends, the two householders, fell at the couple of the feet of the guest. Vyasa said:

21-23. Then Lomasa, best among the learned, was very much pleased. (He said to them: ) " You are best among the polite, You are the best brahmanas, and are highly devoted to piety. By your polite words I am very much pleased. The wise say that a guest is actually Brahma, Shiva, or Vishnu. You have shown so much devotion to me. May auspiciousness come to you. I, a guest, have been properly entertained by you with abundant eatables." Vyasa said:

24. Then the two brahmanas got up, and saluting him by touching the couple of his feet, said to that sage Lomasa: The two brahmanas said:

25-26. O brahmana, please tell us the importance of the worship of a guest, having done which, liberation, to be obtained by men but with difficulty, is obtained. Who is said to be a guest in the world? How is his worship (done)? What position do the one attentive to a guest and the guest obtain? Lomasa said:

27-28. Of the four stages of life that of the householder is said to be the best due to its honouring the anchorite, celibate and a religious mendicant. Among (the members of) the four stages of life the householders are said to be the chief. They should devoutly honour guests.

29-30. The greatest duty of householders is said to be honouring guests. They are said to be householders since they have not fallen from the duty of their stage of life. If householders take care in honouring guests, then what purpose do they have with other pious acts?

31-32. The wise call him to be a guest whose name, family and position are not heard of (before), and who would accidentally come to their house. The wise ones should honour like Vishnu brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyasand sfldras who have come to their house.

33-34. Those others born in low castes, among whom candalas are the chief ones, should be honoured like Vishnu with water for washing their feet, with respectful offerings and abundant eatables. When guests come, a householder goes forth (to greet them). A brahmana should quickly give them water for washing their feet and materials of worship.

35. With soft words he would make a friendly enquiry after the (guests') health. And the householder should gladly feed them with divine foods.

36. The wise one should prepare his bed in a comfortable chamber. Seeing him desirous to go in the morning he should give him leave.

37-38. O best ones, I shall tell you how a guest should be honoured with hospitality if the householder is unfortunately nor wealthy. When guests have come he should devoutly offer them (a) grass (seat) etc. If there is no grass seat he should not devoutly say to him: " Sit on the ground."

39-41. For washing his feet he should give him excellent water. Then with sweet words he should ask in a friendly way about his health etc. Then he should devoutly give him fruit etc.

354 for eating. Without that an intelligent person should not gladly present himself (to the guest). And he should say: " O guest, lam a great sinner, very poor. I desire to offer you (worship with) devotion. But the destiny is opposing."

42-44. The poor one who has avoided honouring a guest in this manner and not anyone else fallen from his duty, would obtain the fruit as stated (in holy texts). The religious merit earned during crores of existences, of the householder from whose house a guest goes unhonoured, perishes. Vishnu would instantly remove the sin committed during crores of existences, of him who honours with devotion just one guest.

45-46. I am telling the truth. I am saying what is beneficial.

I am making a firm statement. A householder does not go to heaven without carefully honouring a guest. It is truth, (nothing but) the truth. It is the repeated truth. For householders going to heaven is not (possible), is not (at all) possible, except by honouring a guest.

47-51. In the Dvapara age there was a cowherd known as Jnatidharma. He knew all the ways of life. His wife was called Shrivallabha. He who served his kinsmen did all (good) acts. With his wife he lived in Saurastra. O brahmanas, due to the movement of bad planets Indra did not shower water for TWELVE

years. Therefore, there was a very great famine. During that great famine, the inhabitants of that country were distressed, and all of them gave up even the limit (of decorum). The great meditating saint Jnanabhadra, with his wealth lost due to the great famine, became very much distressed in the age called Dvapara.

52-53. Seeing his wife and sons distressed with hunger, he with the brahmana's consent(? ), went to the land at the foot of a mountain to eat fruits and roots. O you two best brahmanas, the long-lived one, who was hungry, found one pumpkin gourd at the border of the land at the foot of the hill.

54-56. That very glorious best brahmana Jnanabhadra, being delighted on getting the fruit, speedily went (back) to his house. O brahmanas, in the meanwhile, when the clouds had covered the sky, as it were, with dark blue feet, it rained with powerful showers. The sage's entire body was bathed with that shower. A forester, afflicted with cold, went to (his) house from the forest.

57-63. Seeing the guest afflicted with cold, he saluted him by (bowing) his head. He then devoutly gave him a grass-seat and water for washing his feet etc. Then with that guest only making an intelligent talk with sweet words the cowherd along with his wife diligent in serving her lord, remained with a composed mind. The chaste lady was delighted on having, with effort, secured a pumpkin gourd and gave a part to him after cutting it (into parts). Then that hospitable cowherd who had become weak due to fasting for twentyone days gladly gave a large part (of the fruit) to the guest. Then that chaste housewife highly devoted to her husband also gladly gave that (other) part (of the fruit) to the guest. O best brahmana, the guest having eaten both the parts (of the fruit) of (i.e. meant for) that noble couple, was very much delighted. The two with firm devotion worshipped the guest like Vishnu.

64. Having rested there only at night, he went in the morning after a long time after having bathed. (The two) passed twentyone days in fasting.

65-66a. Then that noble couple died. Due to the efficacy of that religious merit the noble-hearted couple obtained absorption into Vishnu, difficult to be obtained even by meditating saints.

66b-67. Due to the efficacy of their religious merit and the worship of the guest that they had done, the famine in the kingdom came to an end. The people were extremely happy and were free from grief and diseases.

68. They were rich in wealth and grains and were highly devoted to religion. The bandits there disappeared, and the king protected the people.

69-70. People were engaged in their own practices (i.e. practices laid down for their respective castes), and the clouds rained as desired. Crores of the ancestors and successors of the two, being freed from sins due to that act only obtained salvation. They were blemishless, endowed with wealth and were alone honoured by all the people.

71a. The progeny of the two grew without grief and diseases. Lomasa said:

7lb-72a. I have told you the importance of the worship of a guest along with its history. O brahmanas, what else do you desire to hear for your pleasure? Vyasa said:

72b-76a. When that Lomasa, rich in austerities was speaking like this, a black mouse, seized by death came up from its hole. Seeing that black mouse to have come from the hole, Pavitra, beside himself with anger got up, repeatedly speaking like this: " This wicked mouse of a sinful heart digs (the ground of) the hermitage with its sharp teeth at night, and destroys domestic things. For all the castes pity is said to be the best. It should be shown to all living beings, but not to wicked ones."

76b-80a. Speaking like this, O best brahmana, with a very sharp iron arrow he killed the mouse that had committed sins and the death of whom had approached. That rat, with its body bathed (i.e. wet) with the streams of flowing blood, fell on the ground with its consciousness affected due to agony, O brahmana sage. Seeing the mouse fallen, the kind, best brahmana, wailed loudly and speedily got up. Taking an excellent tulasi leaf from his own ear, he put it into the mouse's mouth, on its head and ears.

80b-82a. " O mother, O goddess Tulasi, O you causing delight to Govinda, give the best position to this mouse who has committed sins." O best brahmana, he who obliged all the world, loudly uttered the sound (i.e. the words): 'Hari, Narayana Ananta'.

82b-83a. The mouse, due to the touch of the tulasi leaf, and due to hearing Vishnu's name, was free from sins and became free from the bond of the worldly existence.

83b-86a. Then the messengers of the great Vishnu, who were endowed with all (good) characteristics, quickly came there in good chariots to take (the mouse) whose sins had gone (to Vishnu's abode). The mouse surrounded by the hosts of Vishnu's messengers got into a divine chariot and went to the highest place. The mouse, having stayed in Vishnu's abode for thousands of crores of yugas, and having secured knowledge there only, went to (i.e. obtained) final emancipation.

Vyasa said:

86b-87. O best brahmana, I have told you the importance of goddess Tulasi. O glorious one, tell me what you desire to hear now.

 

CHAPTER TWENTYSIX

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