Shloka 14
Agastya-Māhātmya and Vasiṣṭha’s Protection of the Ādityas
Khalina Daityas; Sarayū Etiology
भुड्क्ते चिकित्सकस्यान्नं तदन्नं च पुरीषवत् । पुंश्वल्यन्नं च मूत्रं स््पात् कारुकान्नं च शोणितम्
bhuṅkte cikitsakasya annaṁ tad annaṁ ca purīṣavat | puṁśvaly annaṁ ca mūtraṁ syāt kārukānnaṁ ca śoṇitam ||
Bhishma sprach: „Isst jemand die Speise eines Arztes, so gilt diese Speise als Kot. Die Speise einer zügellosen Frau (oder Kurtisane) heißt, sie sei wie Urin. Die Speise eines Handwerkers wird dem Blut gleichgesetzt.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches caution in accepting food (and by extension patronage) from certain sources, asserting that the moral and social character of the giver’s livelihood or conduct can be viewed as contaminating the receiver; it is a warning aimed at those seeking ritual and ethical purity.
Bhishma is delivering instruction on dharma in the Anushasana Parva, using vivid comparisons (excrement, urine, blood) to classify certain kinds of food as impure and to reinforce norms about whom a disciplined person should accept sustenance from.