Shloka 19
Devanagari script
गोमूत्रभोजनश्वैव शाकपुष्पाद एव च | शैवालभोजननश्चैव तथा5<चामेन वर्तयन्
Transliteration
gomūtra-bhojanaś caiva śāka-puṣpād eva ca | śaivāla-bhojanaś caiva tathā cāmena vartayan ||
Translation
वसिष्ठ उवाच—स कठोरतपसा वर्तयन् गोमूत्रभोजनश्चैव शाकपुष्पाद एव च। शैवालभोजनश्चैव तथाचामेन वर्तयन्॥
Word by Word
गोमूत्रभोजनःone who eats (subsists on) cow-urine
गोमूत्रभोजनः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootगोमूत्रभोजन
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
एवindeed/only
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
शाकपुष्पात्from vegetable-flowers; from flowers of herbs/greens
शाकपुष्पात्:
Apadana
TypeNoun
Rootशाकपुष्प
FormNeuter, Ablative, Singular
एवonly/indeed
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
शैवालभोजनःone who eats algae/aquatic plants
शैवालभोजनः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootशैवालभोजन
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
एवindeed/only
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
तथाthus/so; likewise
तथा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतथा
अचामेनwith (food) not to be sipped/without ācamana; without ritual sipping
अचामेन:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootअचाम
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Singular
वर्तयन्living/maintaining himself; subsisting
वर्तयन्:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootवृत्
Formशतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Characters & Entities
व
वसिष्ठ (Vasiṣṭha)ग
गोमूत्र (cow’s urine)श
शाक (vegetables/greens)प
पुष्प (flowers)श
शैवाल (algae/water-plants)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tapas (austerity) and self-restraint: ethical strength is cultivated by reducing dependence on comfort and by sustaining life with minimal, simple, and disciplined means.
Vasiṣṭha describes an ascetic mode of living—subsisting on extremely simple items such as cow’s urine, greens, flowers, and aquatic plants—showing how the subject of the passage maintained life while practicing rigorous restraint.