SB 8.16.6 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

अपि वातिथयोऽभ्येत्य कुटुम्बासक्तया त्वया । गृहादपूजिता याता: प्रत्युत्थानेन वा क्‍वचित् ॥ ६ ॥

Verse text

api vātithayo ’bhyetya kuṭumbāsaktayā tvayā gṛhād apūjitā yātāḥ pratyutthānena vā kvacit

Synonyms

api — whether ; vā — either ; atithayaḥ — guests who come without an invitation ; abhyetya — coming to the home ; kuṭumba — āsaktayā — who were too attached to the family members ; tvayā — by you ; gṛhāt — from the house ; apūjitāḥ — without being properly welcomed ; yātāḥ — went away ; pratyutthānena — by standing up ; vā — either ; kvacit — sometimes .

Translation

I wonder whether because of being too attached to the members of your family, you failed to properly receive uninvited guests, who therefore were not welcomed and went away.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

I wonder whether because of being too attached to the members of your family, you failed to properly receive uninvited guests by standing up. Were guests who came not worshipped by standing up?

Purport

It is the duty of a householder to receive guests, even if a guest be an enemy. When a guest comes to one’s home, one should properly receive him by standing up and offering him a seat. It is enjoined, gṛhe śatrum api prāptaṁ viśvastam akutobhayam: if even an enemy comes to one’s home, one should receive him in such a way that the guest will forget that his host is an enemy. According to one’s position, one should properly receive anyone who comes to one’s home. At least a seat and a glass of water should be offered, so that the guest will not be displeased. Kaśyapa Muni inquired from Aditi whether disrespect had been shown to such guests, or atithis. The word atithi refers to one who comes without an invitation.