Shloka 17

Devanagari script

श्राद्धकाले तु यत्नेन भोक्तव्या हाजुगुप्सिता: । दुर्वर्गः कुनखी कुछी मायावी कुण्डगोलकी,श्राद्धकालमें प्रयत्त करके उत्तम ब्राह्मणोंको ही भोजन कराना चाहिये। जिनके शरीरका रंग घृणाजनक हो, नख काले पड़ गये हों, जो कोढ़ी और धूर्त हो, पिताकी जीवित-अवस्थामें ही माताके व्यभिचारसे जिनका जन्म हुआ हो अथवा जो विधवा माताके पेटसे पैदा हुए हों और जो पीठपर तरकस बाँधे क्षत्रियवृत्तिसे जीविका चलाते हों, ऐसे ब्राह्मणोंको श्राद्धमें प्रयत्नपूर्वक त्याग दे; क्योंकि उनको भोजन करानेसे श्राद्ध निन्दित हो जाता है और निन्दित श्राद्ध यजमानको उसी प्रकार नष्ट कर देता है, जैसे अग्नि काष्ठको जला डालती है

Transliteration

śrāddhakāle tu yatnena bhoktavyā hājugupsitāḥ | durvargaḥ kunakhī kuchī māyāvī kuṇḍagolakī ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “At the time of the śrāddha, one should make a careful effort to feed only those who are not blameworthy. Those who are of degraded conduct, whose nails are diseased, who are afflicted with loathsome illness, who are deceitful, and those of censured birth—such persons are to be avoided in śrāddha. For if the śrāddha is performed with improper recipients, it becomes condemned, and a condemned śrāddha harms the patron just as fire consumes dry wood.”

Word by Word

श्राद्धकालेat the time of śrāddha

तुbut/indeed

यत्नेनwith effort/carefully

भोक्तव्याःare to be fed (should be made to eat)

हाalas/ah!

जुगुप्सिताःdespised/abominable

दुर्वर्णःof bad complexion

कुनखीhaving bad/blackened nails

कुष्ठीleprous

मायावीdeceitful/cunning

कुण्डगोलकीborn of a widow (or of illicit union while father lives), ‘kuṇḍa-golaka’ type

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

śrāddha

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Śrāddha should be performed with careful discernment regarding recipients; feeding blameworthy or improper persons is said to vitiate the rite and bring harm to the patron. The emphasis is on ritual propriety and ethical fitness of participants as understood in the text’s dharma framework.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya is instructing about correct śrāddha procedure, listing categories of people considered unsuitable to be invited/served, and warning that an improperly conducted śrāddha becomes ‘condemned’ and yields destructive consequences for the performer.