Verse 4.211

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

अभिशस्तस्य षण्ढस्य पुंश्चल्या दाम्भिकस्य च ।
शुक्तं पर्युषितं चैव शूद्रस्योच्छिष्टमेव च ॥ २११ ॥

abhiśastasya ṣaṇḍhasya puṃścalyā dāmbhikasya ca |
śuktaṃ paryuṣitaṃ caiva śūdrasyocchiṣṭameva ca || 211 ||

Nor the food of an accused person, or of the hermaphrodite, or the unchaste woman, or the hypocrite; nor the food turned sour, or that kept overnight, or what forms the leavings of the Śūdra.—(211)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Unchaste woman’—one who has sexual intercourse with any and every person.

“The food of the harlot has been already forbidden [so that the present text would appear to be superfluous].”

It is not so; the ‘unchaste woman’ is totally different from the ‘harlot.’ The ‘harlot’ is one that makes a living by her beauty; while the ‘unchaste woman’ is one who is unstable in her sexual passions.

‘Hypocrite’—the ‘man of cat-like behaviour’ and others of similar bad conduct.

‘The Śūdra’s leavings’ are specially forbidden here for the purpose of indicating the heaviness of the expiatory panance necessitated by it;—the partaking of the leavings of all men having been already forbidden.

Others explain the terms, ‘Śūdra’s leavings,’ to mean the food left in the dish, after the Śūdra has eaten out of it.

Another reading is ‘ucchiṣṭamagurostathā,’ ‘the leavings of persons other than one’s teacher.’

As a matter of fact, the term ‘ucchiṣṭa’ stands for that which has been defiled by the touch of another person, as also for that which has been left after another person has eaten. In the latter sense, if one’s own ‘leavings’ were prohibited, then every one would have to cat the whole of one’s food as a single morsel. Nor is it the custom among cultured people that, after having eaten one morsel of food, the man washes his hands and mouth and eats the next morsel out of another dish. As for the prohibition that ‘one Should not cat the food once partaken of,’ what this forbids is the interruption of the meal by such acts as rising to receive a guest, and so forth, till one has had one’s fill and till one has washed; after which the touch of others involves no harm.

Where several persons are dining together, even if they happen to touch one another,—as this touching is something totally different,—it would not be a case of ‘eating the leavings.’ As a matter of fact, the Father, along with his sons, always partakes of the food left by guests. Āpastamba and others have deprecated eating with uninitiated sons,—not with the initiated ones.

According to this view, the prohibition would apply to eating in the company of men of other castes; and, in all such cases, some intervening screen shall he set up between the two persons. As for ‘leavings,’ in the sense of what has been left after one has eaten,—this is forbidden, whether it be one’s own ‘leavings’ or those of some other person,—(211).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Śūdrasyocchiṣṭam’—‘Food of a Śūdra, and the leavings of any man’ (Kullūka and Nārāyaṇa);—‘the leavings of a Śūdra’ (Medhātithi, Rāghavānanda, Govindarāja and Nandana).

This verse is quoted in Mitākṣarā (on 3. 290);—in Smṛtitattva (p. 451) which explains ‘paryuṣitam’ as ‘food kept overnight’, and ‘ucchiṣṭa’ as ‘leavings’;—and in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 495) which adds the following notes:—‘Abhiśasta’ is ‘one accused of such crimes as make one outcast,’—‘ṣaṇḍaka’ is ‘hermaphrodite,’—‘puṃścalī’ is ‘unchaste woman,’—‘dāmbhika’ is ‘the religious hypocrite,’—‘śukta’ is that which has been very much soured by the contact of the juice of other things,—‘paryuṣita’ is ‘food kept over-night,’ even though not soured;—according to Haradatta, food cooked during the day becomes ‘paryuṣita’ after sunset, and that cooked during the night becomes so after sunrise;—one should not eat the ‘leavings’ of a Śūdra; though the eating of all ‘leavings’ has been forbidden, yet that of the Śūdra has been specified for the purpose of indicating that this is doubly objectionable;—or the meaning of the clause ‘śūdrasyocchiṣṭam’ may be that ‘one should not eat a Śūdra’s food, nor the leavings of any person’;—or ‘out of the dish out of which a Śūdra has eaten and left some food.’

It is quoted in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 772);—and in Prāyaścittaviveka (p. 250) which explains ‘ṣaṇḍaka’ as ‘sexless’; and adds that of ‘śaktu’ and ‘paryuṣita’ food, only repeated eating involves expiation.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (17, 14-16).—‘Food kept overnight (should be avoided), with the exception of vegetables, oils, meat and honey:—also the food of the loose woman, the accused, etc., etc.,—of those unfit for company, except the baldheaded.’

Āpastamba (1.17.17-20).—‘Cooked food kept overnight,—food turned sour, etc.’

(Do.) (1.18.13).—‘One may eat food offered by men of all castes, who are devoted to their duties; except the Śūdra.’

Vaśiṣṭha (14.2, 3, 16. 17, 28, 29).—‘The food offered by the following shall not bo eaten—the physician,...... the loose woman, the accused, the eunuch and the outcast;—the Śūdra, who wields weapons, the paramour, one who permits the paramour in his house,—of the eunuch, the unchaste woman, it is not accepted; no leavings except those of the teacher shall be eaten; nor what has been defiled by the touch of leavings.’

Viṣṇu (51.9,10).—‘Of the usurer, the miser, the initiated, the accused, the eunuch, the loose woman, the hypocrite, the physician, the fowler, the cruel man, the Ugra, and those who live upon leavings.’

Yājñavalkya (1.161).—(See above.)

(Do.) (1.162).—‘Of the physician, the invalid, the enraged, the loose woman, the intoxicated, the enemy, the cruel man, the Ugra, the outcast, the apostate, the hypocrite, and those who live on leavings.’

Gobhila (3.5.9,10).—‘Not what has been left overnight;—except vegetables, meat and preparations of barley-flour.’