Friday, 6 April 2012

Meaning of Athithi devo Bhava

It means: “One should not neglect one’s duties to gods and ancestors. Treat your mother as god. Treat your father as god. Treat your teacher as god. Treat your guest as god. Whatever deeds are faultless, they are to be performed, not by others. Whatever good works have to be performed, those should be  performed by you.”
Athihi devo bhava  has become part of the “code of conduct” for Indian society. It is   a procedure of the host-guest relationship.
Tithi in Sanskrit means a date. In ancient times, when means of communication were limited and it was not possible for guests to anticipate their date of arrival, Atithi  was coined to depict a visiting person, who had no fixed date of arrival or departure. Devo means god and bhav means “Be” or “Is.”

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