Verse 5.123

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

पक्षिजग्धं गवा घ्रातमवधूतमवक्षुतम् ।
दूषितं केशकीटैश्च मृत्प्रक्षेपेण शुध्यति ॥ १२३ ॥

pakṣijagdhaṃ gavā ghrātamavadhūtamavakṣutam |
dūṣitaṃ keśakīṭaiśca mṛtprakṣepeṇa śudhyati || 123 ||

What has been eaten by a bird, what has been smelt by a cow, blown upon, or sneezed at, or defiled by hair and insects, becomes pure by scattering earth.—(123).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The use of the term ‘eaten’ indicates that the text pertains to food.

‘By birds’—i.e., parrots and other birds that are eatable—what has been eaten out of (rendered a ‘leaving’). This does not apply to what may have been eaten by the crow, the vulture and other such birds; as in connection with this extensive expiatory rites have been prescribed under the text ‘what has been licked by a bird &c., &c.,’ which lays down the expiration to be performed in the case of food which, by itself, is quite pure. Thus it is that there is no purification for food that has been eaten out of by the cow, in connection with the eating of which a similar elaborate expiation has been laid down. Though such may be the law, yet it is necessary to find out other Smṛti-texts and usage bearing upon the subject. As a matter of fact, when food, larger in quantity than ten cupfulls, has been defiled by the crow and other such birds, what cultured people do is to throw away just that portion of it that has been touched, and make use of the remainder after having purified it; but if it is less than ten cupfulls, they throw it away. Here also the peculiar circumstances of each case have to be taken into consideration.

In another Smṛti-text, food defiled by the black birds has also been prohibited.

‘Blown upon’—with breath from the mouth, or over which a piece of cloth has been shaken for the purpose of being dusted.

^‘Sneezed at’—that food on which some one has sneezed.

^‘Hair’—of men from their heads.—^‘Insects’—small organisms; some of these, born out of moisture in the house, if they fall upon the food while living, they do not defile the food; just as is the case with flies. The present purification is laid down for the case where dead insects tall on the food. Those insects, on the other hand, that are born out of impure sources, or which live upon dirt, they defile the food, even when living. Says Gautama (17.89)—^‘What is defiled by hair and insects is ever uneatable.⁹ When the food happens to be covered by a large number of these, the whole of it should be thrown away.

In the case of large heaps of food, if a small portion of it happen to be contaminated by impure insects, that much alone of the food has to be thrown away and the remainder is purified.

In the case of contamination by hair, another Smṛti has laid down that the food shall be touched by vessels of gold, silver, kuśa and gems, along with water. In certain works heating also has been prescribed.

Some people have taken this verse as laying down a rule for the purification of land. But they go against—(a) other Smṛti-texts, (b) usage and (c) the direct meaning of the text.—(123).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(Verse 125 of others.)

‘Avodhūtam’—‘blown upon with the mouth, or blown upon with a piece of cloth’ (Medhātithi);—‘dusted with cloth’ (Govindarāja);—‘moved by the wind from a cloth, the foot or the like’ (Nārāyaṇa);—‘defiled by the dust of a broom or of the air moved by the wings of a bird’ (Nandana).

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Prāyaścitta, p. 105), which explains ‘avadhūtam’ as ‘touched by the dust raised by the shaking of a cloth’,—‘avakṣutam’ as ‘touched by drops of saliva dropped in sneezing’;—it adds that if the food has contained hair or insects during cooking, then it must be thrown away.

It is quoted in Madanapārijāta (p. 458), which adds that the ‘bird’ here meant is one that is among the eatable ones; it explains ‘avadhūtam’ as ‘that over which cloth has been shaken’ or ‘that which has been repeatedly picked up and thrown down by birds’,—‘avakṣutam’, that ‘over which some one has sneezed’;—‘mṛḍ’, ‘mud’, includes ‘ash’ and ‘water’ also. It also adds that if the food has been cooked along with hair or an insect, it has to be thrown away; it has to be purified by clay, ash or water only if the hair or insect has fallen into it after it has been cooked.

It is quoted in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 827);—in Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Śrāddha, p. 15b);—in Śudhikaumudī (p. 314), which says that ‘pakṣijagdham’ means, according to Kullūka, ‘eaten by an edible bird’,—‘avadhūtam’ means ‘breathed upon’, and ‘avakṣutam’as ‘sneezed upon’;—in Śuddhimayūkha (p. 2), which explains ‘avodhūtam’ as ‘over which cloth has been dusted’;—and in Smrtisāroddhāra (p. 244) which gives the same explanation of ‘avodhūtam’ and says that ‘mṛtkṣepaṇam’ includes water-sprinkling also.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Viṣṇu (23.38).—‘Food nibbled at by a bird, smelt at by a cow, sneezed on. or defiled by hair, or bv insects or worms, is purified by earth scattered over it.’

Vaśiṣṭha (14.22-23).—‘Food defiled by contact with a garment, hair or insects shall not be eaten;—but it may be eaten after taking out the hair and the insects, sprinkling it with water, dropping ashes on it, and after it has been declared by the Brahmaṇa to be fit for eating.

Yājñavalkya (1.189).—‘Food smelt by the cow, or defiled by hair, flies or insects, should have water and ashes or earth sprinkled over it, for purifying it.’

Baudhāyana (Aparārka, p. 266).—Blue fly, ordure, insects, bugs are defilers of food. On seeing hair, insect, nail, etc., in food, that part of the food where they are found should be thrown away, and the remainder should have ashes and water sprinkled over it; and it may be taken, after it has been recommended.’

Yama (Do., p. 266).—‘If a fly or hair is found in the food, or if it is sneezed at or blown upon, one should touch it with ash and then eat it.’

Āpastamba (Do.).—‘That food wherein is found an insect that has touched impure substances.’

Śātātapa (Do., p. 267)—‘Food containing hair or insects, or smelt upon, or defiled by flies, or seen by a newly delivered woman, or by a woman in her courses, or by a heretic,—is purified in the following manner: sprinkling water over it, taking out a little of the food, the rest one may eat. Or he may touch it with ashes or with water, or by gold and silver.’

Baudhāyana (again, Aparārka, p. 267).—‘If cooked sacrificial food is defiled by crows and other things, the portion defiled should be taken out. Honey and water become purified by being poured into another vessel; similarly oil and clarified butter.’

Hārīta (Do.).—‘On food being smelt or seen by undesirable persons, or on its being defiled by the presence of hair or insects, it should be touched by water, with gold, silver, ashes, copper, emerald, cow’s hair, deer-skin or kaśa,—sprinkled with mantras, taken round fire, exposed to the sun; thus does it become purified.’

Parāśara (Do.).—‘Food cooked when exceeding a Droṇa in quantity should not he thrown away, even when defiled by dogs or crows; it should he offered to Brāhmaṇas and then used according to their advice.’

Jamadagni (Do.).—‘Cooked food, one Droṇa in weight,—if defiled by dogs or crows, should have a handful thrown out, and the rest becomes purified by heating on fire and sprinkling with water;—same with cooked food enough for lasting one day, when defiled by dogs and crows, or by the presence of hair and insects.’

Baudhāyana (Do., p. 268).—‘Finding skin, hair or nails in the food, one shall throw about a handful of it, and sprinkling water and scattering ashes over it, again sprinkling water, one may eat it after having obtained the recommendation of Brāhmaṇas.’