Kathopanishad- Verse 8 - kathopanishad-1-1-8-āśāpratīkṣe

Kathopanishad – Part 1 – Canto 1 – Verse 8 « »

आशाप्रतीक्षे संगतँ सूनृतां
चेष्टापूर्ते पुत्रपशूँश्च सर्वान् ।
एतद्वृङ्क्ते पुरुषस्याल्पमेधसो
यस्यानश्नन्वसति ब्राह्मणो गृहे ॥ ८॥

āśāpratīkṣe saṃgatam̐ sūnṛtāṃ
ceṣṭāpūrte putrapaśūm̐śca sarvān .
etadvṛṅkte puruṣasyālpamedhaso
yasyānaśnanvasati brāhmaṇo gṛhe .. 8..

8 The brahmin who dwells in a house, fasting, destroys that foolish householder’s hopes and expectations, the reward of his intercourse with pious people, the merit of his kindly speech, the good results of his sacrifices and beneficial deeds and his cattle and children as well.

Table of Contents

Sri Shankara’s Commentary (Bhashya) translated by S. Sitarama Sastri

Hope, i.e., wish for something not definitely known but attainable. Expectation, looking out for something definitely known and attainable. Company with good men, i.e., the fruit resulting from association with good men. Sweet discourse, i.e., the fruit of true and pleasant speech. Ishtam, i.e., the fruit of a sacrifice. Púrtam, i.e., the fruit resulting from charities such as the laying out of a garden, etc. Putrapasûn, i.e., children and cattle. All this is destroyed of the men with little intelligence in whose house, a Brahman, fasting stays. The meaning is that a guest is, therefore, under no circumstances to be neglected.

Commentary by Swami Krishnananda of the great Divine Life Society

Āśā-pratīkṣe saṁgataṁ sūnṛtāṁ ceṣṭāpūrte putra-paśūṁś ca sarvān, etad vṛṅkte puruṣasyālpamedhaso yasyānaśnan vasati brāhmaṇo gṛhe (1.1.8): When a person come in that way is not properly received, what happens? All the hopes of the lord of the house are destroyed then and there. All his expectations get burnt to ashes. All the good things that he has done immediately die. All his friends depart. All the results that followed from his sacrifices, i.e., philanthropic deeds such as charities of different types that he has done to people and the results of Vedic sacrifices, they also immediately perish. His children die, and his cattle perish when he disregards an atithi who comes. If the lord of the house, not knowing the value of receiving guests, atithis, ignores their presence, he loses everything that he has got and himself gets ruined. This is what happens when a starving man stands in front of him.

Yama is suddenly aware of all this because of the instruction that is imparted to him by his own queen: “Great danger is ahead for you if you do not satisfy this lad.”

Links
Various resources on the Kathopanishad
Upanishad Series – Katopanishad Commentary by Swami Chinmayananda

Kathopanishad – Verse 8 – kathopanishad-1-1-8-āśāpratīkṣe – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Meaning and Commentary by Adi Shankaracharya (Sankara Bhashya) – Katha-1-1-8