Atithi Devo Bhav
Encyclopedia
Atithi devo bhavah [Atithi devo bhavaḥ] (English: 'The guest is God' or 'Guest become God') is a Sanskrit
verse, taken from an ancient Hindu
scripture which became part of the "code of conduct" for Hindu
society. Atithi devo bhav regards a procedure of the Host-Guest relationship. Recently it has also become the tag line of India
's Ministry of Tourism's campaign to improve the treatment of tourists in India;
, who says: "Matri devo bhavaḥ, Pitri devo bhavaḥ, Acharya devo bhavaḥ, Atithi devo bhavaḥ". It literally means " The Mother is God
, the Father is God
, the Teacher is God
, [and] the guest is God
."
Tithi in Sanskrit denotes a (calendrical) date. In ancient times, when means of communication were limited and it was not possible for guests to anticipate their date of arrival, "atithi" (which literally means "without a fixed calendrical time") was coined to depict a visiting person who had no fixed date of arrival or departure. "Devah" (which, through sandhi
or euphonic combination, becomes written/pronounced as "devo" when followed by certain kinds of consonants) means God
and bhavaḥ means Be or Is - "The Guest is God".
God is worshipped in a five step worship; this is known as Panchopchar Poorness. The "Shodashopchar Poojan" is an elaboration and formalisation of this ritual and involves 16 steps.
The five steps from the worship become the five formalities to be observed while receiving guests:
'Atithi Devo Bhavah' is a Social Awareness Campaign aimed at providing the inbound tourist a greater sense of being welcomed to the country. The campaign targets the general public, while focusing mainly on the stakeholders of the tourism industry. The campaign provides training and orientation to taxi drivers, guides, immigration officers, police and other personnel who interact directly with the tourist.
Bollywood
actor Aamir Khan
is the brand ambassador of the 'Atithi Devo Bhavah' campaign for the Ministry of Tourism.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
verse, taken from an ancient Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
scripture which became part of the "code of conduct" for Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
society. Atithi devo bhav regards a procedure of the Host-Guest relationship. Recently it has also become the tag line of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's Ministry of Tourism's campaign to improve the treatment of tourists in India;
Guest is God
The verse is from the Taittiriya UpanishadTaittiriya Upanishad
The Taittiriya Upanishad is one of the older, "primary" Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. It is associated with the Taittiriya school of the Yajurveda...
, who says: "Matri devo bhavaḥ, Pitri devo bhavaḥ, Acharya devo bhavaḥ, Atithi devo bhavaḥ". It literally means " The Mother is God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, the Father is God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, the Teacher is God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, [and] the guest is God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
."
Tithi in Sanskrit denotes a (calendrical) date. In ancient times, when means of communication were limited and it was not possible for guests to anticipate their date of arrival, "atithi" (which literally means "without a fixed calendrical time") was coined to depict a visiting person who had no fixed date of arrival or departure. "Devah" (which, through sandhi
Sandhi
Sandhi is a cover term for a wide variety of phonological processes that occur at morpheme or word boundaries . Examples include the fusion of sounds across word boundaries and the alteration of sounds due to neighboring sounds or due to the grammatical function of adjacent words...
or euphonic combination, becomes written/pronounced as "devo" when followed by certain kinds of consonants) means God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and bhavaḥ means Be or Is - "The Guest is God".
Ritual of Pooja
In HinduismHinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
God is worshipped in a five step worship; this is known as Panchopchar Poorness. The "Shodashopchar Poojan" is an elaboration and formalisation of this ritual and involves 16 steps.
The five steps from the worship become the five formalities to be observed while receiving guests:
- Fragrance (DhoopDhoopDhoop is a 2003 Indian film directed by the award winning director Ashwini Chaudhary. The film stars Om Puri and Revathi and is based on the true story of Captain Anuj Nayyar, MVC and his family.-Plot:...
) - While receiving guests the rooms must have a pleasant fragrance, because this is the first thing that attracts or detracts guests from their visit. A pleasant fragrance will put a guest in good humour. - Lamp (DeepDeep-In film and television:* The Deep , a 1970 unfinished film directed by Orson Welles* The Deep , a 1977 film directed by Peter Yates, based on the novel by Peter Benchley...
) - Prior to the electrification of India, a lamp was put between host and guest so that expression and body language would remain clearly visible and therefore no gap would be created between host and guest. - Eatables (Naivaidya) - Fruits and sweets made of milk were offered to guests.
- Rice (Akshat) - It is a symbol of being undivided. A tilak, often made of a vermilion paste, is put on the forehead and rice grains are placed on it. This is the highest form of welcome in Hindu Indian families.
- Flower Offering (Pushp) - A flower is a gesture of good will. When the guest departs, the flower symbolizes the sweet memories of the visit that stay with them for several days.
Campaign by the Government of India
India attracts millions of tourists each year, 3.3 million in 2003, but lags far behind other destinations. To attempt to improve the number of tourists travelling to India, the Tourism Department of India started the Atithi devo bhavah campaign with the theme The Incredible India.'Atithi Devo Bhavah' is a Social Awareness Campaign aimed at providing the inbound tourist a greater sense of being welcomed to the country. The campaign targets the general public, while focusing mainly on the stakeholders of the tourism industry. The campaign provides training and orientation to taxi drivers, guides, immigration officers, police and other personnel who interact directly with the tourist.
Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
actor Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan
Aamir Hussain Khan is an Indian film actor, director and producer who has established himself as one of the leading actors of Hindi cinema....
is the brand ambassador of the 'Atithi Devo Bhavah' campaign for the Ministry of Tourism.