Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.26.35
Ūti· What drives us to actReceive Guests Gently and Politely
“A householder who receives guests or visitors with cruel glances, as if to burn them to ashes, is put into the hell called Paryāvartana, where he is gazed at by hard-eyed vultures, herons, crows and similar birds, which suddenly swoop down and pluck out his eyes with great force.”
What the purport teaches
- According to Vedic etiquette, even an enemy who visits should be received gently enough to forget that he is in an enemy’s home.
- A guest should be received very politely. Even an unwanted visitor should not be met with a hostile, unblinking stare.
- The verse describes Paryāvartana as the destination of a householder who greets visitors with cruel glances. There, ferocious birds attack his eyes.
Try this today
Greet your next visitor with a kind expression and polite words.
Ask yourself
Can I offer a gentle welcome even when a visitor is unwanted?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.