Vishnupurana 3.11.p9

3.11.p9

"A householder, O king, at the Srādha ceremony of his father, should feed another Brāhmin, who is of the same village, whose pedigree and practices are known and who performs the five sacramental rites. He should also present to a Brāhmin, who is well versed in the Vedas, four handfuls of food, set apart, with the exclamation Hanta. If he has got means left after making these three sorts of gifts, the learned should, according to his pleasure, make gifts to a mendicant and a religious student. These three, with the addition of the mendicant described before, are to be considered as guests; and he, who treats these four sorts of persons with hospitality, is freed of the debt due to his fellow beings. The guest, who goes elsewhere disappointed from any house, transfers his own sins to the owner of the house and takes away the house-holder's merits. Brahmā, Prajāpati, Indra, fire, the Vasus, the sun are present in the person of a guest and share the food that is offered to him. Therefore a man should assiduously satisfy the duties of hospitality; for a man, who eats his food without giving any to his guest, feeds only upon his own sin. Thereupon the householder must satisfy with well-seasoned food the damsel living in her father's house, those who are ill, the pregnant woman, the aged and the infants of the house and then he should eat himself. The householder, who eats his food without feeding these, feeds upon his own iniquity and after his death is condemned in hell to feed upon phlegm. He, who eats, without performing ablutions, feeds upon filth; he, who eats without repeating his prayers, feeds upon matter and blood; he, who eats unconsecrated food, drinks urine; and he, who eats before the infants and the aged are fed, is doomed in hell to live upon ordure. O foremost of kings, I shall now describe, do you hear, how a householder should eat and for which he would not be sullied with iniquity, his perpetual health and increased vigour would be secured and all evils and hostilities would be averted. Having bathed and offered duly libations to the celestials, Rishis, and manes and adorned his hand with precious jewels, having recited introductory prayers, offered oblations with fire, food to guests, to Brāhmans, to his elders and to his family, the householder should take his meal, wearing unsullied cloth, excellent garlands and sprinkled with perfumes. He must not eat, O lord, of men, with a single garment on, nor with wet hands and feet.