Shloka 8

Dietary Rules & Purification — Dietary Rules, Purification (Śauca), and the Duties of the Householder and Forest-Dweller

Devanagari script

शुचि भैक्षं कारुहस्तः पण्यं योषिन्मुखं तथा रथ्यागतमविज्ञातं दासवर्गेण यत्कृतम्

Transliteration

śuci bhaikṣaṃ kāruhastaḥ paṇyaṃ yoṣinmukhaṃ tathā rathyāgatamavijñātaṃ dāsavargeṇa yatkṛtam

Translation

طعام الصدقة (bhikṣā) يُعَدّ طاهرًا؛ وأما البضاعة التي تمسّها يدُ الصانع فَيُتَحَفَّظ في أمر طهارتها؛ وكذلك ما يلاقي فمَ المرأة؛ والشيء المجهول الذي يُؤخذ من الطريق؛ وما صُنِعَ على يد طبقة الخدم والعبيد—(فهذه أصناف تُذكر عند الحكم على الطهارة وقبول الاستعمال).

Word by Word

• शुचि: pure
• शुचि: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (pure)

• भैक्षम्: alms/food obtained by begging
• भैक्षम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• कारु-हस्तः: the artisan’s hand
• कारु-हस्तः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारु + हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कारोः हस्तः = artisan's hand)

• पण्यम्: merchandise/commodity
• पण्यम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• योषित्-मुखम्: a woman’s mouth/face
• योषित्-मुखम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योषित् + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (woman's mouth/face)

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/तुल्यतार्थ (thus/also)

• रथ्या-गतम्: that which has come from the street
• रथ्या-गतम्: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रथ्या + गत (√गम् धातु + क्त कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle, क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (rathyāyām gatam = come from the street)

• अविज्ञातम्: unknown/unidentified
• अविज्ञातम्: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-वि-ज्ञात (√ज्ञा धातु + क्त कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle, क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'unknown/unrecognized'

• दास-वर्गेण: by a group of servants
• दास-वर्गेण: Karana (करण/Agent-instrument; by)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दास + वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (group of servants/slaves); करण

• यत्-कृतम्: which has been done/made
• यत्-कृतम्: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (√कृ धातु + क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (relative compound: 'what is done'); भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speakers

• Not stated in the provided excerpt (commonly framed as Pulastya → Nārada in this Purāṇa
• but not asserted here)

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Shauca (Purity rules)
• Social norms in ritual contexts

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse reflects a dharma-text tendency to classify sources and contacts by perceived purity risk, emphasizing vigilance about provenance (unknown street items) and contamination (mouth-contact) for those pursuing ritual cleanliness.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Ancillary dharma/ācāra guidance rather than the Purāṇic fivefold cosmological-genealogical framework.

What is the symbolic significance?

‘Unknown from the street’ symbolizes uncontrolled contact and uncertain lineage/provenance; ‘mouth’ symbolizes the intimate boundary of bodily impurity; together they encode a broader principle: purity depends on traceability and controlled handling.