Shloka 19
अव्यक्त-गुण-पुरुषविवेकः | Avyakta, Guṇas, and Discrimination of Puruṣa
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
婆悉吒说道：“他以严酷的苦行自持，以牛尿为食，又以蔬菜与花为食；同样也吃水中之草木（藻类），就这样以极其微薄的口粮维系其生命。”
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.