Shloka 26
कुमाराभिषेकप्रश्नः — Inquiry into Kumāra (Skanda) Investiture at Sarasvatī
क्षुतं कीटावपन्नं च यच्चोच्छिष्टाचितं भवेत् । सकेशमवधूतं च रुदितोपहतं च यत्
kṣutaṃ kīṭāvapannaṃ ca yac cocchiṣṭācitaṃ bhavet | sakeśam avadhūtaṃ ca ruditopahataṃ ca yat |
Vaiśampāyana dit : «La nourriture sur laquelle on a éternué, celle qu’ont envahie les insectes, celle amassée à partir des restes d’autrui, celle mêlée de cheveux, celle secouée et souillée, et celle gâtée par les larmes—une telle nourriture doit être tenue pour impure.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse lists concrete signs of defilement in food—contamination by bodily emissions (sneeze, tears), insects, leftovers, hair, and rough handling—implying that ethical self-discipline includes attentiveness to purity and propriety in daily acts like eating.
Vaiśampāyana is describing standards of acceptable versus unacceptable food, enumerating types of food considered polluted and therefore to be avoided, as part of a broader dharma-oriented instruction within the Shalya Parva context.