Shloka 19

अव्यक्त-गुण-पुरुषविवेकः | Avyakta, Guṇas, and Discrimination of Puruṣa

Devanagari script

गोमूत्रभोजनश्वैव शाकपुष्पाद एव च | शैवालभोजननश्चैव तथा5<चामेन वर्तयन्‌

Transliteration

gomūtra-bhojanaś caiva śāka-puṣpād eva ca | śaivāla-bhojanaś caiva tathā cāmena vartayan ||

Translation

Vasiṣṭha said: “Living in strict austerity, he sustained himself on cow’s urine, and also on vegetables and flowers; likewise he ate water-plants (algae), and thus continued his life with such meagre fare.”

Word by Word

• गोमूत्रभोजनः: one who eats (subsists on) cow-urine
• गोमूत्रभोजनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोमूत्रभोजन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• शाकपुष्पात्: from vegetable-flowers; from flowers of herbs/greens
• शाकपुष्पात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाकपुष्प
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• एव: only/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• शैवालभोजनः: one who eats algae/aquatic plants
• शैवालभोजनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैवालभोजन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• तथा: thus/so; likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• अचामेन: with (food) not to be sipped/without ācamana; without ritual sipping
• अचामेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अचाम
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• वर्तयन्: living/maintaining himself; subsisting
• वर्तयन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वसिष्ठ (Vasiṣṭha)
• गोमूत्र (cow’s urine)
• शाक (vegetables/greens)
• पुष्प (flowers)
• शैवाल (algae/water-plants)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights tapas (austerity) and self-restraint: ethical strength is cultivated by reducing dependence on comfort and by sustaining life with minimal, simple, and disciplined means.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vasiṣṭha describes an ascetic mode of living—subsisting on extremely simple items such as cow’s urine, greens, flowers, and aquatic plants—showing how the subject of the passage maintained life while practicing rigorous restraint.