896 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 22
including master and servants who are engaged in offering the exalted
visitors water, sitting place, paraphernalia for reception, and the home
itself, are also glorified.

PURPORT

Materially if a man is not very rich, he is not glorious, and spiritually if

a man is too attached to family life, he is also not glorious. But saintly

* persons are quite ready to visit the house of a poor man or a man who is
attached to material family life. When this happens, the owner of the
house and his servants are glorified because they offer water for washing
the feet of a saintly person, sitting places and other things to receive him.
The conclusion is that if a saintly person goes to the house of even an
unimportant man, such a person becomes glorious by his blessings. It is
therefore the Vedic system that a householder invite a saintly person in
his home to receive his blessings. This system is still current in India, and
therefore saintly persons, wherever they go, are hosted by the householders,
who in turn get an opportunity to receive transcendental knowledge. It is
the duty of a sannyasi, therefore, to travel everywhere just to favor the
householders who are generally ignorant of the values of spiritual life.

It may be argued that all householders are not very rich and that one
cannot receive great saintly persons or preachers because they are always
accompanied by their disciples. If a householder is to receive a saintly
person, he has to receive his entourage also. It is said in the sastras that
Durvasa Muni was always accompanied by 60,000 disciples and that if
there was a little discrepancy in their reception, he would be very angry
and would sometimes curse the host. The fact is that every householder,
regardless of his position or economic condition, can at least receive saintly
guests with great devotion and offer them drinking water, for drinking
water is available always. In India the custom is that even an ordinary
person is offered a glass of water if he suddenly visits and one cannot offer
him foodstuff. If there is no water, then one can offer a sitting place, even
if it is on straw mats. And if he has no straw mat, he can immediately
cleanse the ground and ask the guest to sit there. Supposing that a house-
holder cannot even do that, then with folded hands he can simply receive
the guest, saying welcome. And if he cannot do that, then he should feel
very sorry for his poor condition and shed tears and simply offer obeisances
with his whole family, wife and children. In this way he can satisfy any
guest, even if he is a saintly person or a king.
