Shloka 26

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

Devanagari script

प्रेतान्नं सूतिकान्नं च यच्च किंचिदनिर्दशम्‌ । अभोज्यं चाप्यपेयं च धेनोर्दुग्धमनिर्दशम्‌,“यदि किसीके यहाँ मरणाशौच या जननाशौच हो गया हो तो उसके यहाँ दस दिनोंतक कोई अन्न नहीं ग्रहण करना चाहिये, इसी प्रकार ब्यायी हुई गायका दूध भी यदि दस दिनके भीतरका हो तो उसे नहीं पीना चाहिये

Transliteration

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

Translation

วยาสะกล่าวว่า “อาหารที่เกี่ยวเนื่องกับอศุจเพราะความตาย และอาหารที่เกี่ยวเนื่องกับอศุจเพราะการเกิด รวมทั้งสิ่งใดๆ ที่ยังอยู่ภายในสิบวัน (แห่งอศุจนั้น) ไม่พึงบริโภค; และน้ำนมโคที่ยังอยู่ภายในสิบวันหลังคลอด ก็ไม่พึงดื่ม”

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.