Shloka 43
Prāyaścitta for Food-Contact, Social Contact, Aśauca Periods, and Formal Penance Systems
काकश्वानोपनी तन्तु अन्नं बाह्यन्तु तत्त्यजेत् / सुवर्णाद्भैः समभ्युक्ष्य हुताशे च प्रतापयेत्
kākaśvānopanī tantu annaṃ bāhyantu tattyajet / suvarṇādbhaiḥ samabhyukṣya hutāśe ca pratāpayet
وأما الطعام الذي جلبته الغربان أو الكلاب أو دنّسته فيُطرح خارجًا. فإذا رُشَّ بماءٍ مُطهَّرٍ مُقدَّسٍ بالذهب، فليُسخَّن تسخينًا تامًّا في نار القربان المقدّسة (هوتاشا).
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Śauca: contaminated food must be discarded; what is salvageable is purified by sanctified water and agni.
Vedantic Theme: Sattva-śuddhi as support for dharma and clarity of mind (antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi).
Application: Food safety + ritual hygiene: discard visibly contaminated food; if retained, re-heat thoroughly and treat as requiring purification before consumption.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Type: domestic ritual setting
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.222 (śauca/āśauca and purification rules, surrounding verses)
FAQs
This verse treats such contact as a cause of ritual impurity (aśauca/ucchiṣṭa-doṣa), so the proper dharmic response is to reject the food rather than offer or consume it.
In śrāddha and preta-related observances, purity of offerings is central; the verse gives a corrective procedure—discarding impure food and using sanctified water and Agni-heat as purification measures.
Maintain hygiene and ritual cleanliness in offerings: if food is clearly contaminated, do not use it for worship/ritual; replace it, and where tradition applies, purify through sanctioned means (clean water and controlled heating).