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Atithi satkara (Samskrit : अतिथिसत्कारः) or offering hospitality to an uninvited guest is ordained as the dharma of a grihasta, to be followed as a nityakriya. It has been an ancient practice to provide food, clothing and shelter to an uninvited guest, a traveller and to the needy; and towards this purpose annasatras, chatrams  
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[[Atithi Satkara (अतिथिसत्कारः)|Atithi satkara]] (Samskrit : अतिथिसत्कारः) or offering hospitality to an uninvited guest is ordained as the dharma of a grhastha, to be followed as a nityakriya. It has been an ancient practice to provide food, clothing and shelter to an uninvited guest, a traveller and to the needy; and towards this purpose annasatras, chatrams were constructed by Rajas and was seen in households <blockquote>शरणागतस्य कर्तव्यमातिथ्यं हि प्रयत्नतः। पञ्चयज्ञप्रवृत्तेन गृहस्थेन विशेषतः॥ (Maha. Shan. 146.6)</blockquote><blockquote>पञ्चयज्ञांस्तु यो मोहान्न करोति गृहाश्रमे। तस्य नायं न च परो लोको भवति धर्मतः॥(Maha. Shan. 146.7)</blockquote><blockquote>''śaraṇāgatasya kartavyamātithyaṁ hi prayatnataḥ। pañcayajñapravr̥ttena gr̥hasthena viśeṣataḥ॥ (Maha. Shan. 146.6)''</blockquote><blockquote>''pañcayajñāṁstu yo mohānna karoti gr̥hāśrame। tasya nāyaṁ na ca paro loko bhavati dharmataḥ॥(Maha. Shan. 146.7)''</blockquote>It is the  duty  of all to offer hospitality  to the one who comes to their  house.  But  it  is  the  special duty  of  the  grhastha, the  householder,  who  is  committed  to  the  observance  of [[Panchamahayajnas (पञ्चमहायज्ञाः)|panchamahayajnas]]. The grhastha who is so immersed in ignorance that he fails to perform panchamahayajnas cannot rightfully obtain a dignified place, either in this world or in the world hereafter.
  
शरणागतस्य कर्तव्यमातिथ्यं हि प्रयत्नतः। पञ्चयज्ञप्रवृत्तेन गृहस्थेन विशेषतः॥ (Maha. Shan. 146.6)
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[[Mahabharata (महाभारतम्)|Mahabharata]] (Shanti Parva 143 to 148) exemplifies the anecdote of a pious pigeon couple who in their performance of panchamahayajna, eventually offer themselves as food to their enemy, a hunter who has come for shelter under their tree residence, one stormy day.<ref name=":0">Bajaj, Jitendra and Mandayam, Srinivas. (1996) ''Annam Bahu Kurvita.'' Madras: Centre for Policy Studies Madras</ref>
  
पञ्चयज्ञांस्तु यो मोहान्न करोति गृहाश्रमे। तस्य नायं न च परो लोको भवति धर्मतः॥(Maha. Shan. 146.7)
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=== Sharanagati of Hunter ===
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Once upon a time in a great forest there roamed a terrible hunter. He was fearsome and looked like Kala, the Mrtyudevata. Everyday he would  set up his snare, catch birds of the forest in droves, kill them all, and sell them for their flesh. This was his daily routine. And he continued to  ply his cruel trade day after day, for a long long time.
  
Once upon  a time in a great forest there roamed  a terrible  hunter. He  was fearsome and looked like Kala, the Mrityudevata. Everyday  he would  set up his snare, catch birds of the forest  in droves, kill  them all, and sell  them  for  their  fleshThis  was  his  daily  routine. And he  continued  to  ply his  cruel  trade  day  after  day,  for  a  long  long time.  
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One day, while he was going about his business of dispensing death in the forest, suddenly there arose a vicious storm. Mighty winds began to fell the trees, the sky was overcast with dense clouds, and the darkness was broken only by the occasional glow of lightning. Soon it began to rain. And in no time the whole earth was covered deep in water.
  
One  day, while  he  was  going  about  his  business  of  dispensing death  in the forest, suddenly there  arose  a  vicious  storm. Mighty winds began  to fell the trees, the  sky was overcast with dense  clouds, and  the darkness  was broken  only by the occasional  glow  of  lightning. Soon  it began  to rain.  And  in no  time  the  whole  earth  was covered  deep  in water.
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The hunter almost fainted in that incessant rain and the sudden cold. He lost his way. And while moving around wildly without direction, he  could not even make out the mounts and the ditches in the forest. Around him he saw droves of birds and herds of animals running around in great fright. Birds hid themselves in their nests, animals sought out the safety of dry high lands. But many perished in the rain and cold. The hunter was also half-dead with cold. He could neither stand, nor walk. <blockquote>स तु शीतहतैर्गात्रैर्न जगाम न तस्थिवान्। ददर्श पतितां भूमौ कपोतीं शीतविह्वलाम्॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.143.25)</blockquote><blockquote>''sa tu śītahatairgātrairna jagāma na tasthivān। dadarśa patitāṁ bhūmau kapotīṁ śītavihvalām॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.143.25)''</blockquote>In this state he saw a she-pigeon lying on the ground. Suffering from severe cold, she was unable to move or fly. The hunter too was in an equally helpless condition. But, even then, by sheer force of habit, he picked her up and consigned her to the cage. Used to living in papa (पापम्), he could think of nothing better even in his hour of intense suffering.
  
The hunter  almost fainted  in  that incessant rain  and  the  sudden cold. He  lost his way. And  while moving around  wildly without  direction, he  could not  even  make out the mounts and  the ditches in the forest. Around him he  saw droves of birds and herds  of  animals running  around  in great fright.
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Then, all of a sudden, he saw a big tree. Its foliage was thick, dense and dark like a cloud. Numerous birds, seeking shade, shelter and fruit, had made it their home. It seemed as if the tree, like a saint, had taken form only for the purpose of serving others. As soon as the hunter saw that tree, the clouds began to break, and bright stars began to shine through.
  
Birds hid  themselves in their nests, animals sought out the safety of  dry  high  lands.  But  many perished  in  the  rain  and  cold.  The hunter was  also  half-dead  with  cold. He  could  neither stand, nor walk. In this state he saw a she-pigeon lying on the ground.  Suffering from  severe cold, she  was unable  to  move  or  fly. The  hunter  too was in an  equally helpless condition. But, even then,  by sheer  force of habit, he picked her up and  consigned  her  to the cage. Used  to living  in sin, he  could  think  of nothing  better  even  in  his hour  of intense  suffering.
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In the clear dark night lit by the shining stars, the hunter noticed that he had strayed far away from his home. And, he was still shivering with cold. Therefore, he made up his mind to spend the night under the tree. And invoking the deities of the tree for protection, he spread some leaves on the ground and lay down with a stone as his pillow.
  
Thenall of a sudden, he saw a big tree. Its  foliage  was thick,  dense and  dark  like  a cloud. Numerous  birds, seeking shade, shelter  and fruit,  had made  it their home. It seemed  as if the tree, like  a  saint, had  taken  form  only for  the purpose  of serving others. As soon  as the hunter saw that tree, the clouds began  to break, and bright  stars began to shine  through.
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=== Pativrata Qualities ===
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As luck would have  it, there  lived a beautiful  spotted pigeon on that tree with all his relatives. His wife had been away in search of grain since the morning. She had not returned in the evening. And as the night fell, the pigeon began to worry about her. When the hunter reached the tree, the pigeon was crying for his dear wife, recalling her beauty and her unswerving faithfulness. <blockquote>धर्मार्थकामकालेषु भार्या पुंसः सहायिनी। विदेशगमने चास्य सैव विश्वासकारिका॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.144.13)</blockquote><blockquote>नास्ति भार्यासमो बन्धुर्नास्ति भार्यासमा गतिः। नास्ति भार्यासमो लोके सहायो धर्मसङ्ग्रहे॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.144.16)</blockquote><blockquote>यस्य भार्या गृहे नास्ति साध्वी च प्रियवादिनी। अरण्यं तेन गन्तव्यं यथारण्यं तथा गृहम्॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.144.17)</blockquote><blockquote>''dharmārthakāmakāleṣu bhāryā puṁsaḥ sahāyinī। videśagamane cāsya saiva viśvāsakārikā॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.144.13)''</blockquote><blockquote>''nāsti bhāryāsamo bandhurnāsti bhāryāsamā gatiḥ। nāsti bhāryāsamo loke sahāyo dharmasaṅgrahe॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.144.16)''</blockquote><blockquote>''yasya bhāryā gr̥he nāsti sādhvī ca priyavādinī। araṇyaṁ tena gantavyaṁ yathāraṇyaṁ tathā gr̥ham॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.144.17)''</blockquote>A wife is the faithful companion for a man in Dharma, Artha and Kama. He recalled the way she provided him constant companionship and  unerring assistance in all difficult situations. And he wondered what kind of a place would his home be if his loving and caring wife were not there to enliven it with her pleasant speech? Would such a home be any different from the wild forest?
  
In the clear dark night lit by the shining stars, the hunter noticed that he had  strayed far  away from his home. And, he was still  shivering with  cold. Therefore, he made  up  his mind  to spend  the night under  the  tree. And  invoking  the  gods  of  the  tree  for  protection, he spread  some  leaves on  the ground  and lay down with  a stone  as his pillow.
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=== Hospitality to Hunter ===
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His wife, ensnared in the hunter's cage, heard him wailing thus for her. And she felt greatly fulfilled. If her husband was so intensely pleased with her, there was nothing more that she wanted in the world. Forgetting her own woes, she could think only of protecting the dharma of her husband. And she advised him that he had a guest in the house, and it was his primary duty to look after him. He should therefore stop worrying about her and prepare to offer proper hospitality to the hunter. She even advised her husband that he had been blessed with sons and daughters, he had already fulfilled himself, and therefore he need not be constrained to protect his own body while arranging the necessary hospitality for the guest.
  
As luck would  have  it, there  lived  a beautiful  spotted  pigeon on that  tree with  all his relatives. His wife had  been  away in  search  of grain since the morning. She had not returned  in the evening. And as the  night  fell, the  pigeon  began  to worry  about  her. When  the hunter reached the  tree, the  pigeon  was  crying  for  his dear  wife, recalling  her  beauty and  her  unswerving faithfulness. He  recalled the way she  provided  him  constant  companionship  and  unerring assistance  in  all difficult  situations. And  he wondered what kind  of a place  would  his home  be  if his  loving  and  caring  wife  were  not there  to enliven  it with her  pleasant  speech?  Would  such a  home be  any different  from  the wild forest? His wife, ensnared  in  the hunter's  cage, heard  him wailing  thus for her. And she felt greatly fulfilled. If her husband was so intensely pleased  with  her, there  was nothing  more  that  she  wanted  in  the world. Forgetting her  own woes, she could think only of protecting the dharma  of her  husbandAnd  she  advised  him  that  he  had  a guest in the  house, and it was his primary  duty  to look  after  him. He  should  therefore  stop worrying about  her  and  prepare  to  offer proper  hospitality to the hunter. She even  advised her husband that he had  been  blessed with  sons and  daughters, he  had  already fulfilled himself, and therefore he need  not be constrained  to protect his own  body while arranging  the necessary hospitality for the guest.
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The pigeon almost cried with pleasure on listening to the sage advice of his wife. And immediately, he offered himself and his house at the  seva (सेवा | selfless service) of that cruel guest. He graciously welcomed the hunter, asked him to feel free as if he were in his own house, and lovingly enquired after his needs. The pigeon also reassured him that he, the hunter, had come to his house and even an enemy coming thus ought to be offered proper welcome. After all, a tree does not withdraw its shade from the one who comes to it with the intention of cutting it down: <blockquote>अरावप्युचितं कार्यमातिथ्यं गृहमागते। छेत्तुमप्यागते छायां नोपसंहरते द्रुमः॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.146.5)</blockquote><blockquote>''arāvapyucitaṁ kāryamātithyaṁ gr̥hamāgate। chettumapyāgate chāyāṁ nopasaṁharate drumaḥ॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.146.5)''</blockquote>The hunter, accepting the offer of hospitality from the pigeon requested him to find a way of saving him from the biting cold. The pigeon gathered a large heap of dry leaves, and then flew to the blacksmith to bring fire. Soon he had a big blaze going. The hunter luxuriously warmed himself up on the fire. He was relieved of the cold. And then he began to feel the pangs of hunger.  
  
The  pigeon  almost  cried  with  pleasure  on  listening  to  the sage advice  of his  wife. And immediately, he offered  himself  and  his house  at  the service  of  that  cruel  guest. He graciously  welcomed the hunter,  asked  him  to  feel  free  as  if he were  in  his  own  house, and lovingly  enquired  after  his  needs. The  pigeon also  reassured him that he, the hunter, had come to his house and  even an  enemy coming  thus ought  to be  offered  proper  welcome. After all, a tree does not withdraw  its shade  from  the one who  comes  to  it with  the intention  of cutting  it down: 
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=== Annardham Atmarpana ===
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There was of course no food accumulated in the nest of the host. He was a pigeon, who ate as he picked the grains. He had no occasion to put away any of the grains he picked for use at a later time. For once he felt unhappy about such livelihood of a pigeon. Of what use was this livelihood that left him with nothing for entertaining the guests at his door?
  
अरावप्युचितं कार्यमातिथ्यं गृहमागते। छेत्तुमप्यागते छायां नोपसंहरते द्रुमः॥ (Maha. Shan. 146.5)
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But, whatever be the kind of livelihood assigned to him, he could hardly allow a guest to go hungry. He, therefore, thought for some time and, quickly making up his mind, gathered some more leaves and let the fire blaze high again. He told the hunter that he had no food to offer him, but requested him to accept his body  instead. With this request and with the resolve to satiate the hunger of  his guest, he went around the fire  thrice and then dropped himself into the blaze.<blockquote>निश्चिता खलु मे बुद्धिरतिथिप्रतिपूजयने॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.146.22)</blockquote><blockquote>ततः कृतप्रतिज्ञो वै स पक्षी प्रहसन्निव। तमग्निं त्रिःपरिक्रम्य प्रविवेश महामतिः॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.146.23)</blockquote><blockquote>''niścitā khalu me buddhiratithipratipūjayane॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.146.22)''</blockquote><blockquote>''tataḥ kr̥tapratijño vai sa pakṣī prahasanniva। tamagniṁ triḥparikramya praviveśa mahāmatiḥ॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.146.23)''</blockquote>The hunter was shocked to the core of his being. He had seen the pigeon so gladly sacrificing himself to honour and satisfy an unworthy guest like him. He could no more bear to continue the life he had been leading till then. He quickly released the she-pigeon that he had encaged, and leaving behind everything - the stick, the torch, the snare and the cage —he set out on a great journey, that would lead to his death, with the resolve that he would follow the example of the pigeon and bring himself back to the life of dharma by incessant fasting and by undertaking great austerities.
  
The hunter, accepting  the  offer  of  hospitality  from the pigeon requested  him  to find  a  way  of saving  him  from  the biting  cold. The pigeon  gathered  a large  heap  of  dry  leaves, and then flew  to the blacksmith  to  bring  fire. Soon  he  had  a big  blaze  going.  The hunter  luxuriously warmed  himself up on  the fire. He  was relieved of the  cold. And  then  he began  to feel  the pangs  of  hunger.  
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=== Attaining Svarga ===
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<blockquote>मितं ददाति हि पिता मितं भ्राता मितं सुतः॥ 12-148-6</blockquote><blockquote>अमितस्य हि दातारं भर्तारं का न पूजयेत्। नास्ति भर्तृसमो नाथो नास्ति भर्तृसमं सुखम्॥ 12-148-7</blockquote><blockquote>''mitaṁ dadāti hi pitā mitaṁ bhrātā mitaṁ sutaḥ॥ 12-148-6''</blockquote><blockquote>''amitasya hi dātāraṁ bhartāraṁ kā na pūjayet। nāsti bhartr̥samo nātho nāsti bhartr̥samaṁ sukham॥ 12-148-7''</blockquote>The she-pigeon, released from the cage, began to recall the happy times she had spent with her husband. The qualities of a good husband reverberate in her words - A father, brother, and son can only give limited happiness to a woman, what she gains in the company of her husband is endless or infinite. Such a husband, which lady does not revere? For a woman, there is no greater protector than the husband and no greater happiness than him; for whose sake she foregoes wealth and ultimately even her ownself.<ref>Shastri, Ramnarayanadatta Pandey. ''[https://archive.org/stream/MAHABHARATA_201902/MAHABHARATA-05 Mahabharata Volume 5 (With Hindi Translation)]'' Gorakhpur : Gita Press</ref>
  
There  was  of course  no  food  accumulated  in  the  nest  of  the host. He  was a  pigeon, who ate  as he  picked  the grains.  He  had no  occasion  to put  away  any  of  the grains  he  picked for  use  at  a later  time.  For  once  he  felt  unhappy  about  such  livelihood  of a pigeon.  Of what use  was this livelihood  that  left  him  with  nothing for  entertaining  the  guests  at his door?
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Thus, unable to bear the pain of separation, the she-pigeon too jumped into the  fire. Soon she was united with her husband, and the two of them together ascended to the heavens in a celestial chariot, escorted by hundreds of crores of men of great virtue, each of whom was sitting in his own celestial chariot.
  
But, whatever be the kind of livelihood assigned  to him, he  could hardly allow a guest  to go hungry. He, therefore,  thought for  some time and, quickly making up  his mind, gathered  some more leaves and let  the  fire  blaze  high  again. He  told  the  hunter  that he had no food  to offer  him, but requested him to accept his body instead.
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The hunter, overcoming all temptations, entered a deep and inhospitable forest, full of thorny shrubs and savage beasts. Soon he was consumed by a great forest-fire, which cleansed him of all his papas; and thus he too found a distinguished abode in the heavens.
  
With  this request  and with  the resolve  to  satiate  the hunger  of  his guest, he  went  around  the fire  thrice  and then  dropped  himself into  the blaze.
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Thus did the sage pigeon-couple serve their guest, and fulfilled the dharma of [[Grhasthashrama (गृहस्थाश्रमः)|grhasthashrama]]. Their commitment to dharma was, of course, extraordinary. Through such commitment they not only earned a place for themselves in the heavens, but also brought a violent person, like the hunter, back to righteousness and opened the path of heavens for him.
  
The  hunter  was shocked  to the  core  of his being. He  had  seen  the pigeon  so  gladly  sacrificing himself  to  honour  and  satisfy  a  guest like him. He  could  no more bear  to continue  the  life he had  been leading  till  then.  He  quickly  released  the  she-pigeon  that  he  had encaged,  and leaving behind  everything ^ the  stick,  the  torch,  the snare  and  the  cage —he set out on  a great journey,  that would  lead to  his death,  with  the  resolve  that  he would  follow  the  example  of the pigeon and bring himself back to the life of dharma  by incessant fasting  and  by undertaking  great austerities.
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== References ==
 
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[[Category:Danas]]
The  she-pigeon,  released  from  the  cage,  began  to  recall  the happy  times  she  had  spent with  her  husband,  and  unable  to  bear the pain  of separation,  she  too jumped  into  the  fire. Soon  she  was united  with  her  husband,  and  the  two  of them  together  ascended to the heavens in  a celestial chariot, escorted by hundreds  of crores of men  of great virtue, each  of whom was sitting in his own  celestial chariot.
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[[Category:Annadana]]
 
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<references />
The  hunter,  overcoming  all  temptations,  entered  a  deep  and inhospitable  forest,  full  of  thorny shrubs  and  savage  beasts.  Soon he was consumed  by a great forest-fire, which cleansed him  of all his sins; and  thus he  too found  a distinguished  abode  in  the  heavens.
 
 
 
Thus did the  sage pigeon-couple  serve their guest, and fulfilled  the dharma  of  grhasthasrama. Their  commitment  to  dharma  was,  of course,  extraordinary.  Through  such  commitment  they not only earned  a  place  for  themselves  in  the  heavens,  but  also  brought  a violent person,  like  the hunter,  back  to  righteousness  and  opened the path  of heavens  for  him.
 

Latest revision as of 21:29, 5 December 2020

Atithi satkara (Samskrit : अतिथिसत्कारः) or offering hospitality to an uninvited guest is ordained as the dharma of a grhastha, to be followed as a nityakriya. It has been an ancient practice to provide food, clothing and shelter to an uninvited guest, a traveller and to the needy; and towards this purpose annasatras, chatrams were constructed by Rajas and was seen in households

शरणागतस्य कर्तव्यमातिथ्यं हि प्रयत्नतः। पञ्चयज्ञप्रवृत्तेन गृहस्थेन विशेषतः॥ (Maha. Shan. 146.6)

पञ्चयज्ञांस्तु यो मोहान्न करोति गृहाश्रमे। तस्य नायं न च परो लोको भवति धर्मतः॥(Maha. Shan. 146.7)

śaraṇāgatasya kartavyamātithyaṁ hi prayatnataḥ। pañcayajñapravr̥ttena gr̥hasthena viśeṣataḥ॥ (Maha. Shan. 146.6)

pañcayajñāṁstu yo mohānna karoti gr̥hāśrame। tasya nāyaṁ na ca paro loko bhavati dharmataḥ॥(Maha. Shan. 146.7)

It is the duty of all to offer hospitality to the one who comes to their house. But it is the special duty of the grhastha, the householder, who is committed to the observance of panchamahayajnas. The grhastha who is so immersed in ignorance that he fails to perform panchamahayajnas cannot rightfully obtain a dignified place, either in this world or in the world hereafter.

Mahabharata (Shanti Parva 143 to 148) exemplifies the anecdote of a pious pigeon couple who in their performance of panchamahayajna, eventually offer themselves as food to their enemy, a hunter who has come for shelter under their tree residence, one stormy day.[1]

Sharanagati of Hunter

Once upon a time in a great forest there roamed a terrible hunter. He was fearsome and looked like Kala, the Mrtyudevata. Everyday he would set up his snare, catch birds of the forest in droves, kill them all, and sell them for their flesh. This was his daily routine. And he continued to ply his cruel trade day after day, for a long long time.

One day, while he was going about his business of dispensing death in the forest, suddenly there arose a vicious storm. Mighty winds began to fell the trees, the sky was overcast with dense clouds, and the darkness was broken only by the occasional glow of lightning. Soon it began to rain. And in no time the whole earth was covered deep in water.

The hunter almost fainted in that incessant rain and the sudden cold. He lost his way. And while moving around wildly without direction, he could not even make out the mounts and the ditches in the forest. Around him he saw droves of birds and herds of animals running around in great fright. Birds hid themselves in their nests, animals sought out the safety of dry high lands. But many perished in the rain and cold. The hunter was also half-dead with cold. He could neither stand, nor walk.

स तु शीतहतैर्गात्रैर्न जगाम न तस्थिवान्। ददर्श पतितां भूमौ कपोतीं शीतविह्वलाम्॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.143.25)

sa tu śītahatairgātrairna jagāma na tasthivān। dadarśa patitāṁ bhūmau kapotīṁ śītavihvalām॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.143.25)

In this state he saw a she-pigeon lying on the ground. Suffering from severe cold, she was unable to move or fly. The hunter too was in an equally helpless condition. But, even then, by sheer force of habit, he picked her up and consigned her to the cage. Used to living in papa (पापम्), he could think of nothing better even in his hour of intense suffering.

Then, all of a sudden, he saw a big tree. Its foliage was thick, dense and dark like a cloud. Numerous birds, seeking shade, shelter and fruit, had made it their home. It seemed as if the tree, like a saint, had taken form only for the purpose of serving others. As soon as the hunter saw that tree, the clouds began to break, and bright stars began to shine through.

In the clear dark night lit by the shining stars, the hunter noticed that he had strayed far away from his home. And, he was still shivering with cold. Therefore, he made up his mind to spend the night under the tree. And invoking the deities of the tree for protection, he spread some leaves on the ground and lay down with a stone as his pillow.

Pativrata Qualities

As luck would have it, there lived a beautiful spotted pigeon on that tree with all his relatives. His wife had been away in search of grain since the morning. She had not returned in the evening. And as the night fell, the pigeon began to worry about her. When the hunter reached the tree, the pigeon was crying for his dear wife, recalling her beauty and her unswerving faithfulness.

धर्मार्थकामकालेषु भार्या पुंसः सहायिनी। विदेशगमने चास्य सैव विश्वासकारिका॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.144.13)

नास्ति भार्यासमो बन्धुर्नास्ति भार्यासमा गतिः। नास्ति भार्यासमो लोके सहायो धर्मसङ्ग्रहे॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.144.16)

यस्य भार्या गृहे नास्ति साध्वी च प्रियवादिनी। अरण्यं तेन गन्तव्यं यथारण्यं तथा गृहम्॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.144.17)

dharmārthakāmakāleṣu bhāryā puṁsaḥ sahāyinī। videśagamane cāsya saiva viśvāsakārikā॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.144.13)

nāsti bhāryāsamo bandhurnāsti bhāryāsamā gatiḥ। nāsti bhāryāsamo loke sahāyo dharmasaṅgrahe॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.144.16)

yasya bhāryā gr̥he nāsti sādhvī ca priyavādinī। araṇyaṁ tena gantavyaṁ yathāraṇyaṁ tathā gr̥ham॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.144.17)

A wife is the faithful companion for a man in Dharma, Artha and Kama. He recalled the way she provided him constant companionship and unerring assistance in all difficult situations. And he wondered what kind of a place would his home be if his loving and caring wife were not there to enliven it with her pleasant speech? Would such a home be any different from the wild forest?

Hospitality to Hunter

His wife, ensnared in the hunter's cage, heard him wailing thus for her. And she felt greatly fulfilled. If her husband was so intensely pleased with her, there was nothing more that she wanted in the world. Forgetting her own woes, she could think only of protecting the dharma of her husband. And she advised him that he had a guest in the house, and it was his primary duty to look after him. He should therefore stop worrying about her and prepare to offer proper hospitality to the hunter. She even advised her husband that he had been blessed with sons and daughters, he had already fulfilled himself, and therefore he need not be constrained to protect his own body while arranging the necessary hospitality for the guest.

The pigeon almost cried with pleasure on listening to the sage advice of his wife. And immediately, he offered himself and his house at the seva (सेवा | selfless service) of that cruel guest. He graciously welcomed the hunter, asked him to feel free as if he were in his own house, and lovingly enquired after his needs. The pigeon also reassured him that he, the hunter, had come to his house and even an enemy coming thus ought to be offered proper welcome. After all, a tree does not withdraw its shade from the one who comes to it with the intention of cutting it down:

अरावप्युचितं कार्यमातिथ्यं गृहमागते। छेत्तुमप्यागते छायां नोपसंहरते द्रुमः॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.146.5)

arāvapyucitaṁ kāryamātithyaṁ gr̥hamāgate। chettumapyāgate chāyāṁ nopasaṁharate drumaḥ॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.146.5)

The hunter, accepting the offer of hospitality from the pigeon requested him to find a way of saving him from the biting cold. The pigeon gathered a large heap of dry leaves, and then flew to the blacksmith to bring fire. Soon he had a big blaze going. The hunter luxuriously warmed himself up on the fire. He was relieved of the cold. And then he began to feel the pangs of hunger.

Annardham Atmarpana

There was of course no food accumulated in the nest of the host. He was a pigeon, who ate as he picked the grains. He had no occasion to put away any of the grains he picked for use at a later time. For once he felt unhappy about such livelihood of a pigeon. Of what use was this livelihood that left him with nothing for entertaining the guests at his door?

But, whatever be the kind of livelihood assigned to him, he could hardly allow a guest to go hungry. He, therefore, thought for some time and, quickly making up his mind, gathered some more leaves and let the fire blaze high again. He told the hunter that he had no food to offer him, but requested him to accept his body instead. With this request and with the resolve to satiate the hunger of his guest, he went around the fire thrice and then dropped himself into the blaze.

निश्चिता खलु मे बुद्धिरतिथिप्रतिपूजयने॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.146.22)

ततः कृतप्रतिज्ञो वै स पक्षी प्रहसन्निव। तमग्निं त्रिःपरिक्रम्य प्रविवेश महामतिः॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.146.23)

niścitā khalu me buddhiratithipratipūjayane॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.146.22)

tataḥ kr̥tapratijño vai sa pakṣī prahasanniva। tamagniṁ triḥparikramya praviveśa mahāmatiḥ॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.146.23)

The hunter was shocked to the core of his being. He had seen the pigeon so gladly sacrificing himself to honour and satisfy an unworthy guest like him. He could no more bear to continue the life he had been leading till then. He quickly released the she-pigeon that he had encaged, and leaving behind everything - the stick, the torch, the snare and the cage —he set out on a great journey, that would lead to his death, with the resolve that he would follow the example of the pigeon and bring himself back to the life of dharma by incessant fasting and by undertaking great austerities.

Attaining Svarga

मितं ददाति हि पिता मितं भ्राता मितं सुतः॥ 12-148-6

अमितस्य हि दातारं भर्तारं का न पूजयेत्। नास्ति भर्तृसमो नाथो नास्ति भर्तृसमं सुखम्॥ 12-148-7

mitaṁ dadāti hi pitā mitaṁ bhrātā mitaṁ sutaḥ॥ 12-148-6

amitasya hi dātāraṁ bhartāraṁ kā na pūjayet। nāsti bhartr̥samo nātho nāsti bhartr̥samaṁ sukham॥ 12-148-7

The she-pigeon, released from the cage, began to recall the happy times she had spent with her husband. The qualities of a good husband reverberate in her words - A father, brother, and son can only give limited happiness to a woman, what she gains in the company of her husband is endless or infinite. Such a husband, which lady does not revere? For a woman, there is no greater protector than the husband and no greater happiness than him; for whose sake she foregoes wealth and ultimately even her ownself.[2]

Thus, unable to bear the pain of separation, the she-pigeon too jumped into the fire. Soon she was united with her husband, and the two of them together ascended to the heavens in a celestial chariot, escorted by hundreds of crores of men of great virtue, each of whom was sitting in his own celestial chariot.

The hunter, overcoming all temptations, entered a deep and inhospitable forest, full of thorny shrubs and savage beasts. Soon he was consumed by a great forest-fire, which cleansed him of all his papas; and thus he too found a distinguished abode in the heavens.

Thus did the sage pigeon-couple serve their guest, and fulfilled the dharma of grhasthashrama. Their commitment to dharma was, of course, extraordinary. Through such commitment they not only earned a place for themselves in the heavens, but also brought a violent person, like the hunter, back to righteousness and opened the path of heavens for him.

References

  1. Bajaj, Jitendra and Mandayam, Srinivas. (1996) Annam Bahu Kurvita. Madras: Centre for Policy Studies Madras
  2. Shastri, Ramnarayanadatta Pandey. Mahabharata Volume 5 (With Hindi Translation) Gorakhpur : Gita Press