Shloka 43
Prāyaścitta for Food-Contact, Social Contact, Aśauca Periods, and Formal Penance Systems
काकश्वानोपनी तन्तु अन्नं बाह्यन्तु तत्त्यजेत् / सुवर्णाद्भैः समभ्युक्ष्य हुताशे च प्रतापयेत्
kākaśvānopanī tantu annaṃ bāhyantu tattyajet / suvarṇādbhaiḥ samabhyukṣya hutāśe ca pratāpayet
Mas o alimento trazido ou contaminado por corvos ou cães deve ser lançado fora. Depois de aspergi-lo com água purificada e consagrada pelo ouro, deve-se aquecê-lo completamente no fogo sagrado da oblação (Hutāśa).
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Śauca: contaminated food must be discarded; what is salvageable is purified by sanctified water and agni.
Vedantic Theme: Sattva-śuddhi as support for dharma and clarity of mind (antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi).
Application: Food safety + ritual hygiene: discard visibly contaminated food; if retained, re-heat thoroughly and treat as requiring purification before consumption.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Type: domestic ritual setting
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.222 (śauca/āśauca and purification rules, surrounding verses)
FAQs
This verse treats such contact as a cause of ritual impurity (aśauca/ucchiṣṭa-doṣa), so the proper dharmic response is to reject the food rather than offer or consume it.
In śrāddha and preta-related observances, purity of offerings is central; the verse gives a corrective procedure—discarding impure food and using sanctified water and Agni-heat as purification measures.
Maintain hygiene and ritual cleanliness in offerings: if food is clearly contaminated, do not use it for worship/ritual; replace it, and where tradition applies, purify through sanctioned means (clean water and controlled heating).