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A 4–part series on the nobility of offer of food to Athithi (Athithi bhojanam) asexpounded by Hindu scriptures.Written byJayasree Saranathan, India.****Athithi bhojanam(part-1)Serving food to the athithi / guest is the noblest of all acts.In ThirukkuraL,there is a chapter called 'virundhombal' (feeding the guest)which lays emphasison feeding the guest as the supreme oneamong the 5 forms that are ordainedto be followed by the couple in family life (Gruhastha).(Pancha yajna wasthus popular in all the lands in Bharatha varsha.)This has been placed in the middle of 5 types of virundhombal -the first two being offered to unseen guests (Devas (gods) and pitrus (departedsouls))and the last twoto relatives and to one's own self.This is as followed in the Tamil society.While anyone who is a visitor can be termed as a guest,the one who is new to the placeand is in need of foodand a place to restis considered as special.(The 10 verses of this chapter in Thirkkural give a better ideaabout how guest-feeding was done in those days.)The unique feature of this chapter is thatthis has been placed after'anbudaimai' (having love for others)and is succeeded by `iniyavai kooral'(to speak good words)indicating that 'guest feeding' is the result oflove for others andmust be done with sweet treatment of the guestso as to makehim comfortable or 'feel at home.'The chapter that follows then is 'sei nandri maravaamai' which means not toforget the good done by others.In my opinion the gratitude that the guesthas for the one who fed him and cared for him is what makes atithi bhojanamsupreme.I will elaborate this later
 
in subsequent parts.In general, ThirukkuraL accords high status to the one who feeds the guest,on par with 'vaanavar' (devas' or gods).Grains and wealth grow in his homewho offers food to the guest orwhomever approaches himas it is a 'vELvi'(sacrifice or yajna).Similar views are echoed inalmost all Tamil texts preaching 'sheelam' or 'vozhukkam' (good behaviour)Notable among them is Puranaanuru which contains many verses extollinggreatness of feeding atithi among others.Most kings and philanthropistshave beenpraised for having amassed grains (food)to feed whomever approaches them.One unique verse (173) has been composed by none other than a king ofCholas, KuLa muttratthu thunjiya KiLLI vaLAvanin praise of one of his subjects, PaNNan (Siru kudi kizhaan PaNNan)whose sole aim in life was to feed the peoplewho came from far and near.The king makes a rare gestureby offering to bequeath his remaining years of life to PaNNanso that he (PaNNan) can live long to feed the people.The verse also indicates that when people like PaNNan are around,the seasons and rains would not fail -a notion shared by other texts too.A country will receive the bounties of nature -and not less-if all its subjects make it a way of lifeto feed atleast one person a day.A goodeconomics too!The description such as this throws light on the way of life in those days.Every family would wait for at least one traveller (athithi)or a guestto feed him before they take their meals.That means there had been peoplewho had been moving from place to place (for various reasons)and there had beenno need forthem to carry much baggageas an atithi is being taken care for the nightstay also.(More on this aspect in the next part).There were no prior appointments to be made andno frown on the face of the guest on seeing the guest.The injunction is on feeding a strangerwho happens to be a traveller.One can imagine the kind of mentality,the broad mindedness, the care, the compassion,
 
the embracing of the entirehuman race as one with himself etc.,that the people of those days have had,with their mind steeply set on feeding at least one guest a day.Some popular stories of athithi bhojanam.A popular figure of ancient Tamil land known for doing athithi bhojanamof an excellent order was king Adiyaman.The popular Tamil poetess,Ouvaiyarused to visit him as an athithi(a-thithi = one who does not come everyday)A special amla fruit was offered to her once by the king.The king considered Ouvaiyaras the most deserving person than he himself,to eat the fruit which is supposed to extend longevity.He offered it to her without telling her the special quality of the fruitas he believed Ouvaiyarwould not accept it then.The poetess was indeed moved by the king's intentionwhen she came to knowabout the speciality of the fruitafter eating it and did not forget it for life.18 of her poems in Purananuru are on Adhiyamaan.Today we may not knowmuch about Ouvaiyar's life from recorded history.But we know more aboutAdiyaman, thanks to Ouvaiyaar who immortalised him in verses.She even went to his enemy as 'messenger' and teased him with a satirecomposed on him which is also found in Purananuru.She extended her kind heart to his new born son too -a poem on him is alsofound in Purananuru.The over-flowing good-will of athithi for the one who has taken care of him/her is something that one can not buy with money.This good-will showerspropsperity on the giver as how Adi Shankara invoked kanaka-dharaon thepoor woman who had nothing but an amla to offer him.Though this is aboutoffer of food to the sanyasin or brahmachari,the underlying spirit is thatof manushya yajnam or athithi bhojanam.Shabari was blessed to get Rama-Lakshmana as athithi,so was Vidura to haveKrishna as athithi.The result of this athithi bhojanam was the innovationof the popular dish called,ThirukkaNamudu (from grandma's tale).Vidura, who on receiving Krishna as his athithi prepared itwith whatever he had with him at that time (rice, jaggery, ghee, milk and honey)
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