An oft repeated instruction is that we should welcome guests and treat them as if they were divine. But who is a guest?
Atithi is the Sanskrit word used for a guest. By its very definition, it means one who has no fixed day for visiting, explained Goda Venkateswara Sastrigal, in a discourse.
In other words, a guest is one who may arrive at your doorstep at any time, on any day, and not by appointment.
Are we prepared to welcome such people, and treat them with respect and affection? Or do we frown upon their visit? If we resent their sudden arrival, then we are not doing what the Sastras tell us to do — to welcome a guest as if he were God Himself.
In the past, people were welcomed whenever they arrived. It was seen as the duty of every householder to welcome them and see to their comforts.
That was what made travelling possible in days when there were no inns or hotels for people to stay in. If they had not been made to feel welcome, they could never have travelled long and far.
For those who wonder why a guest should be welcomed at all times, there is a reason.
We are incapable of perceiving the Supreme One, because of our lack of gnana, even if He were to live in our midst.
The Lord took many avataras, but how many perceived that they were blessed to have the Supreme One in their midst?
The Lord may come as a guest, and how do we know which of our guests is God Himself? So, it would do us good to welcome every guest, in case one of them turns put to be God Himself.