Shloka 42
The Glory of Dhātrī (Āmalakī) and Tulasī: Ekādaśī Observance and Protection from Preta States
आशौचान्नस्य भोक्तारः प्रेतभोग्या न संशयः । ममायमिति भाषंतो नेतुं तं च न शक्नुमः
āśaucānnasya bhoktāraḥ pretabhogyā na saṃśayaḥ | mamāyamiti bhāṣaṃto netuṃ taṃ ca na śaknumaḥ
Wer Speise isst, die durch Unreinheit erlangt wurde, wird ohne Zweifel zum Gegenstand des Genusses für die Pretas (Geister der Verstorbenen). Selbst wenn er sagt: „Das ist mein“, kann er es nicht mit sich forttragen.
Unspecified (contextual narrator/teacher voice within Adhyaya 60; speaker not explicit from the single verse provided)
Concept: Food and conduct tied to impurity bind one to preta-influence; possessiveness (‘mine’) is futile because nothing is carried beyond death.
Application: Maintain cleanliness in sourcing and offering food; avoid eating in states of impurity; practice non-possessiveness through charity and offering food to God before eating; remember mortality to reduce greed.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dim household scene where a person eats from a vessel marked by impurity, while translucent preta-figures hover, drawn to the act like moths to a flame. In the corner, a small altar with an unlit lamp and untouched offering plate contrasts the act of unoffered consumption; above, the words ‘mama’ dissolve into smoke, symbolizing the collapse of possessiveness at death.","primary_figures":["householder (bhoktā)","preta spirits","symbolic ‘mama’ smoke-script","small neglected altar (naivedya plate)"],"setting":"interior of a modest ancient home; low table, earthen pots, shadowed corners where spirits gather.","lighting_mood":"moonlit and smoky, with a faint cold glow around pretas","color_palette":["cold silver","charcoal black","mud brown","pale blue-gray","faded saffron"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: interior moral scene with embossed gold used sparingly only on the altar’s sacred vessels (hinting at the right path), while the eater and pretas are rendered in darker tones; ornate border, traditional iconographic clarity, dramatic contrast between sacred offering and impure consumption.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate domestic vignette with delicate lines; ghostly pretas painted as translucent pale blue forms; the ‘mama’ motif drifting like calligraphic smoke; soft nocturnal palette and refined expressions showing ignorance vs eerie attraction.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and stylized pretas with greenish-gray bodies; the householder in earthy reds and browns; a small altar with lamp and conch motif; temple-wall composition emphasizing moral instruction.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical composition framed by lotus and vine borders; central plate of food contrasted with a small Viṣṇu offering plate adorned with tulasī motif (symbolic, not textual); deep indigo background, gold highlights, intricate patterning."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["low wind","distant owl call","single temple bell","silence between lines"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: आशौचान्नस्य = आशौच + अन्नस्य; प्रेतभोग्या = प्रेत + भोग्याः; ममायमिति = मम + अयम् + इति; भाषंतो (पाठ) = भाषन्तः.
FAQs
It warns that consuming food associated with ritual impurity (āśauca) leads to harmful post-death consequences, and it reminds that worldly possessions cannot be taken along after death.
Pretas are departed spirits in an intermediate state; the verse uses them to express the idea of negative karmic repercussions affecting one after death.
Clinging to ownership and attachment is portrayed as futile: despite claims of possession, one ultimately cannot carry wealth or enjoyments beyond death, so one should act with purity and restraint.