Shloka 16
Rules of Edible and Inedible Foods
यो यस्यान्नं समश्नाति स तस्याश्नाति किल्बिषम् । अर्द्धका कुलं मित्रं च गोपालो वाहनापि तौ
yo yasyānnaṃ samaśnāti sa tasyāśnāti kilbiṣam | arddhakā kulaṃ mitraṃ ca gopālo vāhanāpi tau
من أكل طعامَ غيره فقد أكل حقًّا إثمَ ذلك الرجل. فنصفه يقع على الأهل والأصدقاء؛ والراعي ووسيلةُ النقل يشتركان في الجزأين الباقيين.
Unspecified (context-dependent; verse presented as a general moral statement within Svarga-khaṇḍa narration)
Concept: Anna as karma-vāhaka: consuming another’s food is framed as consuming their kiliṣa (sin), with karmic liability spreading through social networks and even to supporting agents.
Application: Be mindful about habitual eating outside; prefer sanctified/ethically sourced food; recognize that choices ripple through family/community; cultivate purity in livelihood and hospitality.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A symbolic vision: as a person eats from another’s plate, dark smoke-like threads of ‘kiliṣa’ drift from the food into the eater’s chest, while faint shadow-threads extend toward family and companions, and even to a cowherd and a cart/animal conveyance in the background. The imagery makes karmic interdependence visible—subtle, unsettling, and precise.","primary_figures":["a diner accepting food","shadowy karmic ‘kiliṣa’ forms","family members in the background","a cowherd (gopāla)","a conveyance (cart/oxen/horse)"],"setting":"a roadside rest-house or village courtyard where travelers are fed; background includes a tethered cart and cattle","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["charcoal black","silver moonlight","dusty ochre","bloodless pale blue","muted brown"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: allegorical karmic scene with gold leaf used sparingly for the moon and ritual vessels, the sin depicted as dark ornamental smoke patterns entering the eater, background showing family silhouettes, a gopāla with cattle, and a decorated cart; rich contrasts and icon-like clarity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical night courtyard with fine lines, translucent smoky tendrils representing kiliṣa, expressive subtle fear on faces, cool blues and grays, detailed cattle and cart, moral allegory rendered with gentle naturalism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized smoke-serpents of karma flowing from food to multiple figures, large eyes conveying warning, limited earthy palette with strong black, a gopāla and vehicle simplified into emblematic forms.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: didactic panel with ornate borders, the karmic smoke rendered as floral-vine motifs turning dark, cows and a gopāla at the lower register, deep blue night field with gold highlights, symbolic rather than realistic composition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["conch shell (brief)","wind hush","distant cattle bells","sudden silence on ‘kiliṣam’"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यस्याऽन्नं = यस्य + अन्नम्; तस्याऽश्नाति = तस्य + अश्नाति; वाहनापि = वाहनाः + अपि.
FAQs
It teaches that accepting someone’s food is not morally neutral: the eater becomes a participant in the giver’s moral burden (kilbiṣa), implying careful discernment about whose support one accepts.
The verse frames wrongdoing as socially distributed: consequences spread beyond the immediate actor to associated dependents and facilitators—those connected by relationship (family, friends) and by service/means (cowherd, conveyance).
As a principle of ethical association: be mindful about benefactors, funding, gifts, and hospitality—since benefiting from unethical sources can implicate the recipient and their wider network.