Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.229

v1.c3.229

Atithi (‘guest’).—A hymn of the Atharvaveda¹ celebrates in detail the merits of hospitality. The guest should be fed before the host eats, water should be offered to him, and so forth. The Taittirīya Upaniṣad² also lays stress on hospitality, using the expression ‘one whose deity is his guest’ (*atithi-deva*). In the Aitareya Āraṇyaka³ it is said that only the good are deemed worthy of receiving hospitality. The guest-offering forms a regular part of the ritual,⁴ and cows were regularly slain in honour of guests.⁵