KATHOPANISHAD CHAPTER 1 SHLOKA -9

                                     
                                             तिस्रोरात्रीर्यदवात्सीर्गृहे मे
                                 
                                           अनश्नन् ब्रह्मन्नतिथिर्नमस्यः ।
                                       
                                           नमस्तेऽस्तुब्रह्मन् स्वस्ति मेऽस्तु
 
                                             तस्मात्प्रति त्रीन्वरान्वृणीष्व ॥ ९

                               TISTRO RATRI YAD AVASI GRUHE ME

                           ANASHNAN BRAHMAN ATITHI NAMASYA

                       NAMASTE ASTU BRAHMAN SWASTI ME ASTU

                             TASMAT PRATI TRI VARAN VRUNISHY ||  9

(YAMA )SAID O BRAHMIN YOU STAYED IN MY HOME FOR 3 NIGHTS WITHOUT FOOD 

                          ,SO IN RETURN ASK FOR 3 BOONS  AND LET GOOD FALL ON ME  --9

          In this shloka we have to assume certain things like we did in last few. This is a story. So here we are told that the Yama came home  and realized that the ATITHI -the guest who cam stayed for 3 nights without food or water  and so he is apologizing. He is asking for forgiveness  and also offering him 3 boons . In those days the guest was respected even if he was 'uninvited'. The ATITHI means one who has no fixed day of invitation -TITHI is day in Indian calendar. So the guest has to be respected  and taken care  and in case of Nachiket , he had to wait for 3 days before the Host was home.
        One could imagine that when Nachiket came to Yama 's house his wife may be home  and he did not go in  and he stayed outside till the Man of the house came home. This is not male chauvinistic .but a single unmarried man should not stay in house where there is married women alone without her husband , The same would be true for single woman  and  a man alone in the house .
       In any case the Lord of Death offered the guest 3 boons , one for each day that he was not offered the food . The Guest can get mad  and put a curse . Even if he does not put get mad, he may have thought which may not be Good for the host. So here the Lord of Death is asking the guest a 'favor' ,that he should accept 3 boons  and in 'return/ should bless good luck for the Host.
     One can not even imagine such a thing happening . We do not open doors to strangers . We do not invite them in our house ,if we open door . And we will never ask for forgiveness if we are not home when uninvited guest shows up. So the times have changed and after all this is story,which indicated circumstances  and proper behavior in those days .