Shloka 26
कुमाराभिषेकप्रश्नः — Inquiry into Kumāra (Skanda) Investiture at Sarasvatī
क्षुतं कीटावपन्नं च यच्चोच्छिष्टाचितं भवेत् । सकेशमवधूतं च रुदितोपहतं च यत्
kṣutaṃ kīṭāvapannaṃ ca yac cocchiṣṭācitaṃ bhavet | sakeśam avadhūtaṃ ca ruditopahataṃ ca yat |
Vaiśampāyana disse: «Comida sobre a qual se espirrou, comida infestada de insetos, comida amontoada a partir das sobras de outrem, comida misturada com cabelos, comida sacudida e sujada, e aquela estragada por lágrimas—tal comida deve ser tida por impura.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse lists concrete signs of defilement in food—contamination by bodily emissions (sneeze, tears), insects, leftovers, hair, and rough handling—implying that ethical self-discipline includes attentiveness to purity and propriety in daily acts like eating.
Vaiśampāyana is describing standards of acceptable versus unacceptable food, enumerating types of food considered polluted and therefore to be avoided, as part of a broader dharma-oriented instruction within the Shalya Parva context.