Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.33

yeṣāḿ saḿsmaraṇāt puḿsāḿ

sadyaḥ śuddhyanti vai gṛhāḥ

kiḿ punar darśana-sparśa-

pāda-śaucāsanādibhiḥ

SYNONYMS

yeṣām — of whom; saḿsmaraṇāt — by remembrance; puḿsām — of a person; sadyaḥ — instantly; śuddhyanti — cleanses; vai — certainly; gṛhāḥ — all houses; kim — what; punaḥ — then; darśana — meeting; sparśa — touching; pāda — the feet; śauca — washing; āsana-ādibhiḥ — by offering a seat, etc.

TRANSLATION

Simply by our remembering you, our houses become instantly sanctified. And what to speak of seeing you, touching you, washing your holy feet and offering you a seat in our home?

PURPORT

The importance of holy places of pilgrimage is due to the presence of great sages and saints. It is said that sinful persons go to the holy places and leave their sins there to accumulate. But the presence of the great saints disinfects the accumulated sins, and thus the holy places continue to remain sanctified by the grace of the devotees and saints present there. If such saints appear in the homes of worldly people, certainly the accumulated sins of such worldly enjoyers become neutralized. Therefore, the holy saints actually have no self-interest with the householders. The only aim of such saints is to sanctify the houses of the householders, and the householders therefore should feel grateful when such saints and sages appear at their doors. A householder who dishonors such holy orders is a great offender. It is enjoined, therefore, that a householder who does not bow down before a saint at once must undergo fasting for the day in order to neutralize the great offense.