Shloka 17

Kārttika-vrata Discipline: Purity Rules, Morning Bath Saṅkalpa, Tilaka Injunctions, and Food Prohibitions

Devanagari script

सर्वदा वर्जयेद्विप्र कार्त्तिके च विशेषतः । सौवीरकं तथा माषानामिषं च तथा मधु

Transliteration

sarvadā varjayedvipra kārttike ca viśeṣataḥ | sauvīrakaṃ tathā māṣānāmiṣaṃ ca tathā madhu

Translation

အို ဗြာဟ္မဏ၊ အမြဲတမ်း—အထူးသဖြင့် ကာရ္တိကလတွင်—ဆော်ဝီရက (ဖာမင့်လုပ်သောက်ရည်), မာෂ (အူရဒ်ပဲ), အသားနှင့် ပျားရည်ကို ရှောင်ကြဉ်ရမည်။

Word by Word

• सर्वदा: always
• सर्वदा: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb)

• वर्जयेत्: should avoid
• वर्जयेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वर्ज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कार्त्तिके: in Kārttika (month)
• कार्त्तिके: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्त्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordinator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Conjunction)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/degree adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb), विशेषार्थ (especially)

• सौवीरकम्: sauvīraka (a fermented drink/gruel)
• सौवीरकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौवीरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तथा: also, likewise
• तथा: Samuccaya/Anukarana (also/likewise)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Particle/Adverb)

• माषान्: black gram beans
• माषान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• आमिषम्: meat
• आमिषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आमिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordinator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Conjunction)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Samuccaya/Anukarana (also)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Particle/Adverb)

• मधु: honey
• मधु: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator/instructor addressing a brāhmaṇa (vipra) within Brahma-khaṇḍa context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: वर्जयेद्विप्र → वर्जयेत् विप्र; माषानामिषं → माषान् आमिषम् (न् + आ → ना संधि)।

Characters & Entities

• Kārttika

FAQs

What practice does this verse prescribe for the month of Kārttika?

It prescribes dietary restraint in Kārttika, emphasizing avoidance of fermented liquor (sauvīraka), black gram (māṣa), meat, and honey as part of vrata-like discipline.

Why is Kārttika singled out as ‘especially’ important here?

Kārttika is traditionally treated in Purāṇic literature as a particularly sacred month for intensified self-control, purity, and devotional observances; hence restrictions are stressed more strongly.

What is the ethical lesson conveyed by this instruction?

The verse teaches self-regulation and purity through mindful consumption—using food discipline as a practical expression of dharma and spiritual focus.