Shloka 20

Kārttika-vrata Discipline: Purity Rules, Morning Bath Saṅkalpa, Tilaka Injunctions, and Food Prohibitions

Devanagari script

द्विजक्रीता रसाः सर्वे जलं चाल्पसरः स्थितम् । ब्रह्मचर्यं तुर्यकाले पत्रावल्यां च भोजनम्

Transliteration

dvijakrītā rasāḥ sarve jalaṃ cālpasaraḥ sthitam | brahmacaryaṃ turyakāle patrāvalyāṃ ca bhojanam

Translation

Alle wohlschmeckenden Flüssigkeiten sollen durch einen Brahmanen erlangt werden; Wasser aber nur aus einem kleinen, begrenzten Becken. Man halte Brahmacarya, esse im vierten Teil des Tages und nehme die Mahlzeit auf einem Blattteller zu sich.

Word by Word

• dvijakrītāḥ: bought by a brāhmaṇa
• dvijakrītāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + krīta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Bahuvacana (Plural/बहुवचन), Puṃ-liṅga (Masculine/पुंलिङ्ग); tatpuruṣa: dvija-krīta = "bought by a brāhmaṇa"; qualifies rasāḥ

• rasāḥ: juices/liquids
• rasāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Bahuvacana (Plural/बहुवचन), Puṃ-liṅga (Masculine/पुंलिङ्ग)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Bahuvacana (Plural/बहुवचन), Puṃ-liṅga; agrees with rasāḥ

• jalam: water
• jalam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā/Dvitīyā vibhakti (1st/2nd), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन), Napuṃsaka-liṅga (Neuter/नपुंसकलिङ्ग); subject with implied "(asti)"

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय/Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction/समुच्चय-निपात): "and"

• alpasaraḥ: a small pond
• alpasaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: alpa (प्रातिपदिक) + saras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन), Napuṃsaka-liṅga; karmadhāraya: alpa-saras = "small pond"

• sthitam: situated/standing
• sthitam: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/kta), Prathamā, Ekavacana, Napuṃsaka-liṅga; agrees with alpasaraḥ; sense: "is situated/standing"

• brahmacaryam: celibacy (brahmacarya)
• brahmacaryam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmacarya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā/Dvitīyā vibhakti (1st/2nd), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन), Napuṃsaka-liṅga; item in a list (with implied "(asti)"/"(kartavyam)")

• turyakāle: at the fourth time/period
• turyakāle: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Time-location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: turya (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Saptamī vibhakti (7th/सप्तमी), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन), Puṃ-liṅga; tatpuruṣa: turya-kāla = "the fourth time/period"; locative: "at the fourth time"

• patrāvalyām: on a leaf-plate
• patrāvalyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patrāvalī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Saptamī vibhakti (7th/सप्तमी), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन), Strī-liṅga (Feminine/स्त्रीलिङ्ग); locative: "on a leaf-plate/leaf arrangement"

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय/Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction/समुच्चय-निपात): "and"

• bhojanam: food/eating
• bhojanam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhojana (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Prathamā/Dvitīyā vibhakti (1st/2nd), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन), Napuṃsaka-liṅga; item in list ("food/eating")

Speaker

Unspecified (context-dependent instruction within Brahma-khaṇḍa narration)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: cālpasaraḥ = ca + alpasaraḥ

Characters & Entities

• dvija (brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What practices are prescribed in this verse?

It prescribes conduct associated with disciplined living: sourcing certain liquids via a brāhmaṇa, restricting one’s water source, observing brahmacarya (continence), eating at an appointed time (the fourth division of the day), and eating on leaf-plates.

What does “turya-kāla” mean here?

Turya-kāla literally means “the fourth time/quarter.” In vrata-style instructions it commonly indicates a regulated time-window for eating, emphasizing restraint and routine rather than constant or indulgent eating.

What is the ethical lesson emphasized by these rules?

The verse emphasizes self-control (in sexuality, consumption, and routine), simplicity in food practice (leaf-plates), and regulated resource-use (water), framing restraint as a form of dharmic discipline.