Mahabharata 20: Five Ways To Welcome Guests Poem by Aniruddha Pathak

A straw mat on ground to sit,
A place in the house discreet,
Water to drink, wash guest's feet,
Words of welcome warm and sweet,
Courteous conduct to greet:
In homes of nobles well worth,
Let these five suffer no dearth.
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Here is the transliteration of the original verse:

tŗņāni bhūmih udakam1vāk chaturthī cha sūnŗtā |
satām etāni geheśhuna uċhidyante kadāchana || vana 2-54 ||

During the discussion a question came as to who is a good house holder. Yudhishthir argued: a good householder shares his food with gods, manes (ancestors) , dependents, birds and animals. A guest has to be welcomed and made comfortable. He had his own take on these four things as minimum and must that a good man, howso poor, should not lack.

Note: tŗņāni = a mat made of straw (for sitting): bhūmih = a place (in house to stay): udakam = water, see note below; vāk chaturthī = smart/sweet words of welcome; sūnŗtā = gentle, courteous behaviour; satām = of good, noble men; na uċhidyante = never (should be)discarded. In olden days, a guest was as good as god. He would come unannounced. And he need not know the host, and was still welcome.

1. As per ancient Indic tradition, an elderly guest's feet are first washed to show respect; water is first offered to drink, and then for cleansing, etc.