Shanti Parva Adhyaya 36 Shloka 26 - Mahabharata | Tamil | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 26

Prāyaścitta-vidhāna: Tapas, Dāna, Vrata, and Proportional Expiation (प्रायश्चित्तविधानम्)

Devanagari script

प्रेतान्नं सूतिकान्नं च यच्च किंचिदनिर्दशम्‌ । अभोज्यं चाप्यपेयं च धेनोर्दुग्धमनिर्दशम्‌

Transliteration

pretānnaṁ sūtikānnaṁ ca yac ca kiṁcid anirdaśam | abhojyaṁ cāpy apeyaṁ ca dhenor dugdham anirdaśam ||

Translation

வியாசர் கூறினார்— மரண அசௌசத்துடன் தொடர்புடைய உணவும், பிறப்பு அசௌசத்துடன் தொடர்புடைய உணவும், மேலும் பத்து நாட்களுக்குள் உள்ள எதுவும் உண்ணத் தகாதது; அதுபோலவே பசுவின் பாலும் கன்றிட்ட பத்து நாட்களுக்குள் இருப்பின் அருந்தத் தகாதது।

Word by Word

प्रेतान्नम्food connected with a dead person (impure food)

सूतिका-अन्नम्food connected with childbirth impurity

चand

यत्whatever

चand

किंचित्anything at all; something

अनिर्दशम्not having completed ten days (within ten days)

अभोज्यम्not to be eaten; inedible (forbidden to eat)

चand

अपेयम्not to be drunk; undrinkable (forbidden to drink)

चand

धेनोःof a cow

दुग्धम्milk

अनिर्दशम्within ten days (not ten-days-complete)

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

pretānna (food during death-impurity)

sūtikānna (food during birth-impurity)

dhenu (cow)

dugdha (milk)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches observance of śauca (ritual purity) by avoiding consumption of food and drink connected with death-impurity or birth-impurity for the first ten days; even a cow’s milk within ten days of calving is to be avoided.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-instructional context, Vyāsa lays down a rule of conduct about what should not be accepted or consumed during prescribed periods of impurity, emphasizing disciplined living and respect for dharmic norms.