Verse 3.101

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

तृणानि भूमिरुदकं वाक् चतुर्थी च सूनृता ।
एतान्यपि सतां गेहे नोच्छिद्यन्ते कदा चन ॥ १०१ ॥

tṛṇāni bhūmirudakaṃ vāk caturthī ca sūnṛtā |
etānyapi satāṃ gehe nocchidyante kadā cana || 101 ||

Grasses, place, water and kind word as the fourth,—even these never fail in the house of good people.—(101)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

If, through poverty, one is unable to provide food,—even then one should not entertain such thoughts as these—‘feeding is the chief factor in the honouring of a guest; this is not possible in my case; why then should I let him enter my house?’ Because for one who is incapable of doing anything else, even the providing of ‘grass,’ &c., would constitute the act of ‘honouring the guest.’ Or, the meaning may be that the providing of food alone does not constitute the full compliance with the injunction of ‘honouring the guest;’ one has to provide bedding, &c., also.

‘Grasses’—stands for bedding.

‘Place’—i.e., space for sitting, sleeping and moving about.

‘Kind words’—i.e., words, sweet as well as wholesome; in the form of conversation and stories, &c.

In the absence of food,’ ‘even these never fail’—i.e., are always provided—‘in the house of good people.’—(101)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Compare Hitopadeśa, 1.33.

This verse is quoted in Mitākṣarā (on 1.107, p. 78), which explains it to mean that if there is no food to be given, the guest may be duly honoured even with ‘grasses, place, water and speech’;—also in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 441), where ‘Sūnṛtā’ is explained as ‘agreeable and true’.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Āpastamba-Dharmasūtra (2.4.14).—‘In the absence of all else, place, water, grass and sweet words; these should never fail in any household.’

Gautama (5.36-37).—‘As a middle course, food shall he offered to one who is not learned, but of good character; to one who is the reverse of this, only grass, water, and place; or at least, a welcome.’

Yājñavalkya (1.107).—‘The guest in the evening should not be deprived of sweet words, place and water.’

Pracetas (Vīramitrodaya-Āhnika, p. 4?0).—‘If a person comes to the house either after the Vaiśvadeva offerings, or in the evening, he should be honoured like a god; he being called “a guest brought by the sun.”’

Vaśiṣṭha (Do.).—‘Then he should feed the guests in the order of seniority.’

Mahābhārata (Āśvamedhika, Do., p. 441).—‘If a twice-born person studies the Vedas along with all the subsidiaries, but does not honour the guests, he studies it all in vain...... If a man honours not the guest arriving after the Vaiśvadeva offerings, he, without doubt, becomes a Caṇḍāla.’

Śaṅkha-Likhita (Āśvamedhika, pp. 442-443).—‘The guest, who is a Vedic scholar or a religious student preparing for householdership, or a life-long religious student, or a renunciate,—should observe the milking time. If such a guest arrives at that time, one should receive him and then take his food. If the householder takes his food before the guest has been fed, the latter lakes away all his merit. That is why they honour the guest........ To the guest who is fully endowed with age, caste, learning, and austerity, he shall offer water for washing the feet and for rinsing the mouth, and also food to the best of his power; he should sit with him, and at night should retire to sleep after having obtained his permission; he should rise, in the morning, before the guest; and when he departs, he should accompany him up to either a sacrificial altar or a garden or a park or a public hall or a watering place or a tank or a temple or a place of large gatherings; and there having greeted him according to the law, he shall come hack, having requested him to come again.’

Parāśara (Do., p. 443).—‘If a guest arrives, ho should receive him with welcome, the offering of a seat and also the washing of his feet; as also with offering him food with due respect, and with agreeable conversation; and he should please him by accompanying him when he departs.’

Yama (Do.).—‘Duty towards the guest is five-fold—one should offer him one’s eye, mind, true and agreeable words, rising to welcome and offering a seat.’

Parāśara (Do., p. 448).—‘Those who fail to make the Vaiśvadeva offerings, and those who do not fulfil their obligations to the guest,—all these go to hell and come to be horn as crows.’

Mahābhārata (Āśvamedhika, Do.).—‘Be the guest a Caṇḍāla or a Śvapāka or a Kāleya, if he has come in time, he should he welcomed by the householder.’

Viṣṇudharmottara (Do.).—‘Be he a Caṇḍāla, or a sinner or an enemy or a patricide, if he has arrived at the proper time and place, he should be fed.’

Hārīta (Do., p. 449).—‘If a guest arrives,—be he a recluse or a householder or an accomplished student,—to him he shall offer welcome, water for washing the feet and rinsing the mouth, and seat; as also all the vegetables that may be available; when he departs, he should go with him; thus do his forefathers become pleased; and he should turn hack only when permitted to do so by the guest; if he however stays at the house, he should be duly attended upon.’