Shloka 12
Dharma of the Conduct of the Vānaprastha Āśrama
Forest-Dweller Discipline
शेषं समुपभुंजीत लवणं च स्वयंकृतम् । वर्ज्जयेन्मद्यमांसानि भौमानि कवकानि च
śeṣaṃ samupabhuṃjīta lavaṇaṃ ca svayaṃkṛtam | varjjayenmadyamāṃsāni bhaumāni kavakāni ca
แล้วจึงบริโภคส่วนที่เหลือเป็นประสาท และใช้เกลือที่ทำด้วยตนเองด้วย พึงเว้นสุรา ของมึนเมา เนื้อสัตว์ และของที่งอกจากดิน เช่น เห็ดราและเชื้อรา
Unspecified (instructional/normative voice within Svarga-khaṇḍa narrative context)
Concept: Consume only sanctified remainder (śeṣa/prasāda) with self-prepared simple ingredients; avoid intoxicants and tamasic foods that cloud purity and compassion.
Application: Prefer home-prepared, simple food; treat meals as offerings before consumption; avoid alcohol and foods that trigger lethargy or harm; cultivate mindful eating as spiritual discipline.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"After the rite, the devotee sits on a woven grass mat before a small altar, eating only the sanctified remainder from a leaf-plate, with a simple bowl of self-made salt beside him. In the shadows behind, rejected items—wine jar, meat platter, and dark mushrooms—are pushed away, emphasizing the triumph of sāttvika clarity over tamasic temptation.","primary_figures":["a disciplined dvija householder/ascetic","symbolic rejected foods (madya, māṃsa, kavaka)"],"setting":"quiet āśrama or simple household shrine corner with a small lamp, leaf-plates, earthen bowls, and kuśa grass","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["lamp-flame gold","leaf-plate olive","earthen pot terracotta","cloth off-white","shadow indigo"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: devotee seated before a small shrine consuming yajña-śeṣa from a leaf-plate, a tiny bowl of self-made salt; gold leaf highlights on lamp flame and shrine arch, rich red-green accents in the background, rejected wine/meat/mushrooms depicted at the margin in subdued tones to show renunciation.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate domestic-āśrama scene with soft lamplight, delicate rendering of leaf-plate and earthen bowls; the devotee’s calm face contrasts with dimly painted rejected foods in the corner, cool shadows and refined linework conveying restraint.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined seated figure, stylized lamp and offering plate, clear iconography of avoided items placed outside a boundary line; flat natural pigments, strong reds/yellows/greens, temple-wall simplicity emphasizing dharma.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central prasāda meal scene framed by lotus and floral borders; symbolic motifs of purity—white conch, tulasi-like vines—around the shrine; deep blue cloth with gold highlights, rejected items minimized at the periphery to keep devotional focus."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["single temple bell","soft lamp crackle","night insects","distant conch","silence after injunctions"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्वयम् + कृतम् → स्वयंकृतम्; वर्ज्जयेत् + मद्यमांसानि → वर्ज्जयेन्मद्यमांसानि
FAQs
It prescribes restrained, regulated eating—partaking of the proper remainder of food, using simple self-prepared condiments, and avoiding intoxicants, meat, and certain earth-grown foods like mushrooms.
In Purāṇic dharma-ethics, intoxicants and meat are commonly treated as impediments to purity (śauca), restraint, and vow-based religious practice (vrata), and thus are prohibited in such contexts.
It literally means 'earth-born fungi'—commonly understood as mushrooms and similar fungal growths—listed among items to be avoided under the stated dietary discipline.