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SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

A definition of Athithi (guest) has been attributed to sage Lomasarma
that runs thus:

"yasya na shruyathE naama na cha gothram na chasthithi:/agasmaath
gruham aagachEth sothithi:pujyatheputhai://"

(athithi or guest is one whose name or gothram orplace of residence is
not known. He is one who happensto come to the house of a gruhastha
(family man)purely by chance. Such a person needs to be worshippedby
the gruhastha)

The term athithi also encompasses the other aashramis too, like the
Brahmachari and the sanyasi. Parasharasmruthi (which is the book on
code of conduct for kaliyuga like Manu smrithi for Krutha yuga)
considers feeding as the highest form of propitiation from sins.

Feeding is the only act in which the receiver stops atsome point when
he feels completely satisfied. According to this Smruthi, there are 3 
types of daanam(offering) which vary in conferring benefits based on
whether
(1) the giver reaches the place of thereceiver and gives (utthamam or
greatest type) or
(2) the receiver comes to the giver to receive (madhyamam ormedium result) or
(3) the giver gives to the one who happens to be near his place
(athamam or lowest kind).

The only exception is offering food to the athithi whocomes to your
doorstep. The only condition here isoffering the best food available
in the best possibleway.

This is echoed in Taittriya upanishad (3-10) (nakanchana pradhya
saksheetha….) whereby it is statedthat it is a vratham (penance) to
offer food to theathithi. The one who offers the best kind of food
(available with him) will himself receive the bestkind of food. The
one who offers with some reservations will receive a medium level of
food and the one who offers the worst kind of treatment and food to
the athithi receives the worst kind of food.

Athithi bhojanam has been made an obligatory act amongthe other ones
that have been described as tapas bysage Naga, the son of Mudgala (Tai
up 1-9–athithayascha swaadhyaaya pravachanEcha).If the athithi (here a
Brahmin) is not attended to and left to wait, then it results in loss
of wealth and allthose benefits that would otherwise accrue to the
host due to his other good actions.

This is being made out in verse 1-8 of katohpanishad. In verses 1-7,
1-8 & 1-9 of this Upanishad, it is being made clear that anathithi
must be offered water and food and if hestays for the night in the
host's house, the host is all the more obliged to attend to his needs.
When the young lad Nachiketas waits at the doorstep of Yama's house
when he was not there for 3 days and nights,Yama felt obliged (on his
return) to atone for the sin (of having made him wait) and offered to
grant him 3 boons.

Since the over-night stay qualifies the person to be an athithi (only
a traveller from a far-away land would stay for the night in another's
house),Parasurama was obliged to leave the land he had gifted to sage
Kashyapa, for otherwise he would become anathithi to the sage, who
would then have to pay obeisance to him –which was untenable because
it was Parasurama and not the sage who was obliged to please the
other.

 Parasurama made it a point not stay for the night in the vast land he
had gifted and moved to Mahendra parvad using the power he had
acquired to move swiftly. When Sri Rama, upon accepting the challenge
from Parashurama to draw the  Vishnu dhanus, succeeded in doing so,
Parashurama was humbled. Since the dhanush had been drawn, it had to
hit some target. Rama gave Parasurama only two choices about the
target– either to sacrifice all the benefits of the penance he had
done until then or to lose the power to move swiftly to any
destination of his choice.

Parasurama chose to sacrifice the former, for if he loses the latter,
he would not be able to leave the land he had gifted on which he was
then standing.The moment Rama had shot the arrow, Parasurama would
become powerless to move swiftly to his abode before nightfall. In
order not to create a 'crisis' with reference to treatment meted out
to athithi,Parasurama took the most painful decision of foregoing
whatever he had earned through penance. Such was the sanctity attached
to athithi puja.

Now about the most important declaration that athithi is to be
worshipped as god (athithi devo bhava –Tai upa). It has been a matter
of debate and discussion why the seers placed athithi on par with god
and in the order after mother, father and teacher. Every available
text on this speaks about the good results that the host gets, but
whether it is the good reason to say that athithi is supreme as god or
on par with the other three is a moot question. There are other
actions too that have been sanctified by scriptures and seers. But do
we treat the sources (actions or perpetrators ofaction) as god in
those cases?

While explanations may vary and are many based on one's experience and
knowledge, here is one based on the experience of this writer. It
happened when this writer undertook a 5-day tour to cover 40 divya
desasin Tanjore –Kumbakonam belt (Chozha naattuthirupathigaL) along
with the family. It was the last day of the tour when she landed at
Thirunaangur pradesam. Until then she and her family had been blessed
with quick dharshan, food at all places etc. But once inside the
remote villages of Thirunaangur pradesam, things were not moving as
expected. Added to the difficulty in reaching the temples and finding
the bhattars, was the one on finding food. The available stocks of
food had run out and the kids were looking tired, dehydrated and
pathetic.

Steeped in a staunch principle that they must not ask for any help
that would make it obligatory, her family merely looked for ways to
finish the dharshan at the remaining temples soon and leave for home.
When they happened to spot the house of Sri Madhavan Bhattar, the
bhattar serving at Annan Koil, they proceeded to enquire about the
other temples and a guide to show them the way. An unique soul that he
was, the Bhattar noticed the tiredness in their faces and lost no time
in inviting them inside and offered food before they could make any
enquiries. His wife Gayathri maami made them all feel comfortable and
at ease in their home.

I must say that till today none of us have forgotten their
hospitality. Even my children who were much younger then remember the
food we had in their house.It was amirtham (nectre) that brought life
to our senses! And we had it in the cosiest atmosphere with no worry 
about whether we are a burden to them and whether we are troubling
them etc.

What we had was the best food we have ever had and the thought that we
have of the fine couple even after years is something special. It is
the heartfelt good wishes for good fortunes and everything of good for
them. Perhaps this feeling and thinking about them is comparable to
what one's mother, father or teacher would have for that person(s).

 It is perhaps due to this reason, theathithi has been placed after
these three. It is perhaps in tune with according highest place (as
god) to the three, that the athithi is also treated as god.No mother
or father or teacher would think anything less than the highest good
to the person. So too with the athithi who has been treated well!

Apart from this experience-based insight, there does exist a Vedantic
explanation for why the athithi becomes God. This will be discussed in
the subsequent posts.

Regards,
Jayasree saranathan
(to be continued)


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