Shloka 53
Rules of Purity (Shauca) — Rules of Purity (Śauca), Permissible Foods, and the Duties of the Householder and Forest-Dweller
देवालयं चैत्यतरुं चतुष्पथं विद्याधिकं चापि गुरुं प्रदक्षिणम् माल्यान्नपानं वसनानि यत्नतो नान्यैर्धृतांश्चापि हि धारयेद् बुधः // वम्प्_14.52 स्नायाच्छिरःस्नानतया च नित्यं न कारणं चैव विना निशासु ग्रहोपरागे स्वजनापयाते मुक्त्वा च जन्मर्क्षगते शशङ्के
devālayaṃ caityataruṃ catuṣpathaṃ vidyādhikaṃ cāpi guruṃ pradakṣiṇam mālyānnapānaṃ vasanāni yatnato nānyairdhṛtāṃścāpi hi dhārayed budhaḥ // VamP_14.52 snāyācchiraḥsnānatayā ca nityaṃ na kāraṇaṃ caiva vinā niśāsu grahoparāge svajanāpayāte muktvā ca janmarkṣagate śaśaṅke
El sabio debe realizar pradakṣiṇa (circunvalación reverente) alrededor de un templo, de un árbol sagrado (caitya-taru), de un cruce de cuatro caminos, de quien le supera en saber y también de su maestro. Con cuidado, no debe llevar guirnaldas, ni restos de comida o bebida, ni vestiduras ya usadas por otros. Debe lavarse la cabeza a diario, y no debe bañarse de noche sin causa adecuada—salvo durante un eclipse, en tiempo de muerte familiar/duelo, y cuando la luna se halla en el asterismo natal (janma-nakṣatra).
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The verse codifies everyday dharma as embodied reverence: honoring sacred loci (temple/tree/crossroads), honoring living embodiments of dharma (guru, the learned), and maintaining personal integrity through purity and restraint (avoiding others’ used items). It frames discipline (niyama) as a support for sattva and social harmony.
This passage is best classified under ancillary dharma-śāstra style instruction rather than the five hallmark topics; it aligns loosely with ‘ācāra’ material that often accompanies Vamśānucarita and tīrtha-māhātmya sections, but it is not directly Sarga/Pratisarga/Vaṃśa/Manvantara/Vaṃśānucarita.
Pradakṣiṇā symbolizes placing the sacred at one’s center (moving around it in a rightward, auspicious orientation). The cautions about night-bathing and used items emphasize boundaries that protect ritual potency (tejas) and mental clarity, while the eclipse and birth-star exceptions acknowledge liminal times that demand special observance.