Chapter 67

Vishnu Smriti 67

Now, having swept around the fire, sprinkled it with water, spread sacred grass around it, and poured water around it, having taken the first portion from all the cooked food, he shall offer it. // Vi_67.1 //

To Vāsudeva, Saṃkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Puruṣa, Satya, Acyuta, and Vāsudeva. // Vi_67.2 //

Then to Agni, Soma, Mitra, Varuṇa, Indra, Indra and Agni, the Viśvedevas, Prajāpati, Anumati, Dhanvantari, Vāstoṣpati, and Agni Sviṣṭakṛt. // Vi_67.3 //

Then, with the remainder of the food, he shall offer a bali (ritual food portion). // Vi_67.4 //

With food and side-dishes. // Vi_67.5 //

On all sides, to the east of the fire. // Vi_67.6 //

To Ambā, Dulā, Nitantī, and Cupuṇīkā, to all of them. // Vi_67.7 //

To Nandinī, Subhagā, Sumaṅgalī, and Bhadraṃkarī, in clockwise order at the doorposts. // Vi_67.8 //

At the main post, to Dhruvā, Śrī, Hiraṇyakeśī, and to the Vanaspatis. // Vi_67.9 //

At the door, to Dharma and Adharma, and to Mṛtyu (Death). // Vi_67.10 //

At the water-pot, to Varuṇa. // Vi_67.11 //

At the mortar, to Vishnu. // Vi_67.12 //

At the grinding-stone, to the Maruts. // Vi_67.13 //

In the upper part of the house, to King Vaiśravaṇa and to the spirits. // Vi_67.14 //

In the eastern part, to Indra and the followers of Indra. // Vi_67.15 //

In the southern part, to Yama and the followers of Yama. // Vi_67.16 //

In the western part, to Varuṇa and the followers of Varuṇa. // Vi_67.17 //

In the northern part, to Soma and the followers of Soma. // Vi_67.18 //

In the middle, to Brahman and the followers of Brahman. // Vi_67.19 //

Upwards, to the Sky. // Vi_67.20 //

On the bare ground, during the day, to the spirits that wander by day. // Vi_67.21 //

At night, to those that wander by night. // Vi_67.22 //

Then, on kuśa grass with the tips pointing south, he shall perform the offering of funeral cakes (piṇḍa) to his father, paternal grandfather, and paternal great-grandfather, and to his mother, paternal grandmother, and paternal great-grandmother, with their names and lineages.[^2] // Vi_67.23 //

And he shall offer to the piṇḍas ointment, flowers, incense, a food offering, and the like. // Vi_67.24 //

Having placed a pitcher of water nearby, he shall have a prayer for well-being recited. // Vi_67.25 //

He shall cast on the ground an offering for dogs, crows, and dog-keepers. // Vi_67.26 //

And he shall give alms. // Vi_67.27 //

And he shall take the utmost care in the worship of a guest (atithi). // Vi_67.28 //

He shall carefully worship an atithi who has arrived in the evening. // Vi_67.29 //

He shall not keep an atithi in his house without having fed him. // Vi_67.30 //

As the Brāhmaṇa is the lord of the varṇas, as the husband is of women, so is the atithi of the householder. // Vi_67.31 //

By his worship, one attains heaven. // Vi_67.32 //

The atithi from whose house he turns away with his hopes broken, / From him he takes away his merit and gives him his own sin. || Vi_67.33 ||

A Brāhmaṇa who stays for one night is remembered as an atithi; / Because he stays for an unfixed time (anitya), therefore he is called atithi. || Vi_67.34 ||

One should not consider a Brāhmaṇa from the same village, nor one who comes for a specific purpose, as an atithi, / Even if he is present in the house where one's wife and sacred fires are. || Vi_67.35 ||

If, however, a Kṣatriya has come to the house with the rights of an atithi, / After the Brāhmaṇas have eaten, one may, if one wishes, feed him also. || Vi_67.36 ||

If a Vaiśya and a Śūdra have also arrived at the household with the rights of an atithi, / One should feed them with his servants, showing compassion. || Vi_67.37 ||

Others also, such as friends, who have come to the house out of affection, / One should feed them with his wife, with the prepared food, according to his ability. || Vi_67.38 ||

A married daughter living in the house, a maiden, a sick person, and a pregnant woman, / One should feed these even before the atithis, without hesitation. || Vi_67.39 ||

He who, without giving to these, eats first, that undiscerning man, / While eating, he does not know that he himself is being devoured by dogs and vultures. || Vi_67.40 ||

After the Brāhmaṇas have eaten, and one's own servants as well, / The husband and wife shall then eat what is left. || Vi_67.41 ||

Having worshipped the gods, ancestors, men, servants, and the household deities, / The householder shall then become a partaker of the remainder. || Vi_67.42 ||

He eats only sin, who cooks for his own sake; / For this food, which is the remnant of the sacrifice, is ordained as the food of the good. || Vi_67.43 ||

By the study of the Veda, by the Agnihotra sacrifice, by sacrifice, and by austerity, / A householder does not attain those worlds which he does by the worship of an atithi. || Vi_67.44 ||

In the evening and in the morning, he shall give to an atithi a seat and water, / And food according to his ability, having honored him according to the rule. || Vi_67.45 ||

A lodging, a bed, an anointing of the feet, and a lamp, / By giving each of these, one obtains a fruit equal to the gift of a cow. || Vi_67.46 ||