Shloka 4
Dharma of the Renunciant: Alms Discipline, Meditation, and Expiations
भिक्षेत्युक्त्वा सकृत्तूष्णीमादद्याद्वाग्यतः शुचिः । प्रक्ष्याल्य पाणी पादौ च समाचम्य यथाविधि
bhikṣetyuktvā sakṛttūṣṇīmādadyādvāgyataḥ śuciḥ | prakṣyālya pāṇī pādau ca samācamya yathāvidhi
‘ഭിക്ഷാ’ എന്ന് ഒരിക്കൽ മാത്രം പറഞ്ഞു, വാക്സംയമത്തോടെ ശുചിയായവൻ മൗനമായി (ഭിക്ഷ) സ്വീകരിക്കണം. തുടർന്ന് കൈകാലുകൾ കഴുകി, വിധിപ്രകാരം ആചമനം ചെയ്യണം।
Not specified in the provided excerpt (contextual speaker not inferable from this single verse alone).
Concept: Restraint in speech and bodily purity sanctify even ordinary acts like receiving food, turning them into disciplined sādhana.
Application: Before eating or accepting anything, pause, speak minimally, keep hands/feet clean, and perform a brief purification (ācamana) to cultivate reverence and self-control.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A silent ascetic stands at a threshold with a small alms-bowl, uttering ‘Bhikṣā’ only once. After receiving a modest portion, he steps aside to a clean water-pot, washes hands and feet, and performs ācamana with focused calm, turning the mundane act into a sacred rite.","primary_figures":["yati (ascetic)","householder donor (gṛhastha)"],"setting":"village courtyard at dawn-edge or quiet temple-annadāna corridor; a small water vessel, stone wash-slab, and simple alms-bowl in view","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["ochre","ash white","copper bronze","indigo shadow","sandalwood beige"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: an austere yati receiving bhikṣā at a doorway, then washing hands and feet and performing ācamana beside a copper kalaśa; gold leaf halo-like accents around the act of purification, rich maroon and emerald borders, gem-studded vessel highlights, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a quiet village threshold scene with delicate brushwork—ascetic with a small bowl, donor offering a ladle of food; nearby a streamlet or water pot for washing, cool dawn palette, refined faces, soft architectural lines and flowering shrubs.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines of the yati in simple cloth, stylized doorway and copper pot, ritual gestures of ācamana emphasized; natural pigments with warm reds/yellows/greens, temple-wall aesthetic, large expressive eyes conveying restraint.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional domestic sanctity—annadāna motif with lotus borders; the yati’s bhikṣā bowl framed by floral patterns, peacocks perched on parapets, deep blue ground with gold detailing, emphasizing purity before consumption."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","water poured from a pot","distant birds","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: bhikṣetyuktvā = bhikṣā + iti + uktvā (ā + i → e; then iti + uktvā); sakṛttūṣṇīm = sakṛt + tūṣṇīm (t + t → tt); tūṣṇīmādadyāt = tūṣṇīm + ādadyāt (m + ā- sandhi); ādadyādvāgyataḥ = ādadyāt + vāgyataḥ (t + v → d v by sandhi/phonetic assimilation in transmission).
FAQs
It prescribes asking only once (“bhikṣā” said a single time) and then accepting silently, with restraint of speech and inner purity.
It frames alms-taking within standards of śauca (purity): physical cleansing (washing hands/feet) followed by ritual purification (ācamana) according to prescribed rules.
Self-restraint and humility—minimal speech, disciplined conduct, and cleanliness—presenting alms as a sacred act governed by dharmic procedure rather than casual taking.