Adhyaya 131: Expiation for Chewing the Tooth-stick (Dantakāṣṭha)

Verse 1

अथ दन्तकाष्ठाचर्वणप्रायश्चित्तम् ॥ श्रीवराह उवाच ॥ दन्तकाष्ठमचरवित्वा यो हि मामुपसर्पति ॥ पूर्वकालकृतं कर्म तेन चैकेन नश्यति

Now, the expiation concerning not chewing a tooth-stick. Śrī Varāha said: “Whoever approaches me without having chewed a tooth-stick—by that single act, a deed done in former times is destroyed.”

Verse 2

नारायणवचः श्रुत्वा पृथिवी धर्मसंश्रितः ॥ विष्णुभक्तसुखार्थाय हृषीकेशमुवाच ह

Having heard Nārāyaṇa’s words, Pṛthivī—grounded in dharma—spoke to Hṛṣīkeśa, for the sake of the well-being of Viṣṇu’s devotees.

Verse 3

धरण्युवाच ॥ सर्वकालकृतं कर्म क्लेशेन महताऽनघ ॥ कथमेकापराधेन सर्वमेव प्रणश्यति ॥

Pṛthivī said: “O sinless one, how can all karma accumulated over a long time—won with great hardship—be destroyed by a single offense?”

Verse 4

श्रीवराह उवाच ॥ शृणु सुन्दरी तत्त्वेन कथ्यमानं मयाऽनघे ॥ येन चैका पराधेन पूर्वकर्म प्रणश्यति ॥

Śrī Varāha said: “Listen, O fair one, O blameless lady, as I state the principle in truth: how a single offense causes one’s prior karma to be destroyed.”

Verse 5

मनुष्यः किल्बिषी भद्रे कफपित्तसमन्वितः ॥ पूयशोणितसम्पूर्णं दुर्गन्धि मुखमस्य तत् ॥

“A human being, O gentle lady, is tainted with fault; endowed with phlegm and bile, his mouth is filled with pus and blood, and is foul-smelling.”

Verse 6

तत्सर्वबीजं नश्येत दन्तकाष्ठस्य भक्षणात् ॥ शुद्धिर्भागवती चैव आचारेण विवर्जिता ॥

“By eating the tooth-stick (dantakāṣṭha), that entire ‘seed’ (foundation) is destroyed; and devotional purity to Bhagavān is likewise excluded when proper conduct is absent.”

Verse 7

धरण्युवाच ॥ दन्तकाष्ठमखादित्वा यः कर्माणि करोति ते ॥ प्रायश्चित्तं च मे ब्रूहि येन धर्मो न नश्यति ॥

Pṛthivī said: “Tell me also the expiation (prāyaścitta) by which dharma does not perish for one who performs rites after not having eaten the tooth-stick.”

Verse 8

श्रीवराह उवाच ॥ एवमेतन्महाभागे यन्मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि ॥ कथयिष्यामि हीदं ते यथा शुध्यन्ति मानवाः ॥

Śrī Varāha said: “So it is, O noble lady, as you ask me. I shall explain this to you—how human beings become purified.”

Verse 9

आकाशशयनं कृत्वा दिनानि द्वे च पञ्च च ॥ अभुक्तदन्तकाष्ठाश्च एवं शुध्यन्ति मानवाः ॥

“Having undertaken ‘sleeping in the open’ for two days, or for five days, and refraining from consuming the tooth-stick—thus human beings become purified.”

Verse 10

कुतस्तस्यापराधोऽस्ति एवमेव न संशयः ॥

“How could there be an offense in his case? It is exactly so—there is no doubt.”

Verse 11

एवं ते कथितं भद्रे दन्तकाष्ठस्य भक्षणम् ॥ य एतेन विधानेन प्रायश्चित्तं समाचरेत् ॥

“Thus, O good lady, the matter of consuming the tooth-stick has been explained to you. Whoever performs the expiation according to this procedure…”