Shloka 16
Rules of Edible and Inedible Foods
यो यस्यान्नं समश्नाति स तस्याश्नाति किल्बिषम् । अर्द्धका कुलं मित्रं च गोपालो वाहनापि तौ
yo yasyānnaṃ samaśnāti sa tasyāśnāti kilbiṣam | arddhakā kulaṃ mitraṃ ca gopālo vāhanāpi tau
ಯಾರು ಯಾರ ಅನ್ನವನ್ನು ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತಾನೋ, ಅವನು ನಿಜವಾಗಿ ಅವರ ಪಾಪವನ್ನೇ ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತಾನೆ; ಅದರ ಅರ್ಧ ಭಾಗ ಕುಲ ಮತ್ತು ಮಿತ್ರರ ಮೇಲೆ ಬೀಳುತ್ತದೆ, ಉಳಿದ ಎರಡು ಭಾಗಗಳು ಗೋಪಾಲನಿಗೂ ವಾಹನಕ್ಕೂ ಸೇರುತ್ತವೆ।
Unspecified (context-dependent; verse presented as a general moral statement within Svarga-khaṇḍa narration)
Concept: Anna as karma-vāhaka: consuming another’s food is framed as consuming their kiliṣa (sin), with karmic liability spreading through social networks and even to supporting agents.
Application: Be mindful about habitual eating outside; prefer sanctified/ethically sourced food; recognize that choices ripple through family/community; cultivate purity in livelihood and hospitality.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A symbolic vision: as a person eats from another’s plate, dark smoke-like threads of ‘kiliṣa’ drift from the food into the eater’s chest, while faint shadow-threads extend toward family and companions, and even to a cowherd and a cart/animal conveyance in the background. The imagery makes karmic interdependence visible—subtle, unsettling, and precise.","primary_figures":["a diner accepting food","shadowy karmic ‘kiliṣa’ forms","family members in the background","a cowherd (gopāla)","a conveyance (cart/oxen/horse)"],"setting":"a roadside rest-house or village courtyard where travelers are fed; background includes a tethered cart and cattle","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["charcoal black","silver moonlight","dusty ochre","bloodless pale blue","muted brown"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: allegorical karmic scene with gold leaf used sparingly for the moon and ritual vessels, the sin depicted as dark ornamental smoke patterns entering the eater, background showing family silhouettes, a gopāla with cattle, and a decorated cart; rich contrasts and icon-like clarity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical night courtyard with fine lines, translucent smoky tendrils representing kiliṣa, expressive subtle fear on faces, cool blues and grays, detailed cattle and cart, moral allegory rendered with gentle naturalism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized smoke-serpents of karma flowing from food to multiple figures, large eyes conveying warning, limited earthy palette with strong black, a gopāla and vehicle simplified into emblematic forms.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: didactic panel with ornate borders, the karmic smoke rendered as floral-vine motifs turning dark, cows and a gopāla at the lower register, deep blue night field with gold highlights, symbolic rather than realistic composition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["conch shell (brief)","wind hush","distant cattle bells","sudden silence on ‘kiliṣam’"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यस्याऽन्नं = यस्य + अन्नम्; तस्याऽश्नाति = तस्य + अश्नाति; वाहनापि = वाहनाः + अपि.
FAQs
It teaches that accepting someone’s food is not morally neutral: the eater becomes a participant in the giver’s moral burden (kilbiṣa), implying careful discernment about whose support one accepts.
The verse frames wrongdoing as socially distributed: consequences spread beyond the immediate actor to associated dependents and facilitators—those connected by relationship (family, friends) and by service/means (cowherd, conveyance).
As a principle of ethical association: be mindful about benefactors, funding, gifts, and hospitality—since benefiting from unethical sources can implicate the recipient and their wider network.