Shloka 30
Ācāra-Nirṇaya: Varṇa-Āśrama Dharma, Śauca, Snāna, Sandhyā, Japa, Tarpaṇa, and Gṛhastha-Dinacaryā
परेषां शौचशिष्टाच्च श्मशानाच्च मृदं त्यजेत् / एकां लिङ्गे मृदं दद्याद्वाम हस्ते मृदं द्विधा
pareṣāṃ śaucaśiṣṭācca śmaśānācca mṛdaṃ tyajet / ekāṃ liṅge mṛdaṃ dadyādvāma haste mṛdaṃ dvidhā
Hendaknya menghindari tanah yang tersisa dari penyucian orang lain, juga tanah dari tempat pembakaran jenazah. Untuk bersuci, oleskan satu bagian tanah pada kemaluan dan dua bagian tanah pada tangan kiri.
Lord Viṣṇu (in dialogue instruction to Garuḍa/Vinātā-putra)
Concept: Use uncontaminated earth for purification; avoid others’ leftover cleansing earth and earth from cremation grounds; apply specified measures for cleansing body parts.
Vedantic Theme: Outer discipline as training for inner order; purity rules as supports for sattva and social-sacred harmony.
Application: Use clean, fresh cleansing material; avoid cross-contamination; follow consistent hygiene steps (especially after toileting) with attention to left-hand convention.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Type: cremation ground; purification area
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.213.31 (rinsing counts continuing the same shaucha protocol)
FAQs
This verse treats cremation-ground earth as ritually unsuitable for personal purification; śauca requires clean, uncontaminated materials to maintain dharmic purity.
By prohibiting śmaśāna-sourced earth for cleansing, it reflects the text’s broader concern with managing contact-related impurity around death contexts through proper śauca.
Use clean, dedicated cleansing materials (and avoid shared/leftover items) for hygiene and ritual purity, especially when following traditional śauca observances.