Verse 3.13

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 3.13:

यज्ञ-शिष्टाशिनः सन्तो मुच्यन्ते सर्व-किल्बिषैः ।
भुञ्जते ते त्व् अघं पापा ये पचन्त्य् आत्म-कारणात् ॥ १३ ॥

yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ |
bhuñjate te tv aghaṃ pāpā ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt || 13 ||

yajña-śiṣṭa–of the remnants of food of sacrifice; aśinaḥ–eaters; santaḥ–saintly persons; mucyante–they are freed; sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ–from all sins; bhuñjate–eat; te–those; tu–but; agham–sin; pāpāḥ–sinners; ye–who; pacanti–cook; ātma-kāraṇāt–for their own sake.

Saintly persons, who only accept the remnants of sacrifice, become free from all sins, but those who cook grains and other foodstuffs for their own sake are sinners, and certainly eat only sin.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

Those who take the grain remnants of sacrifices such as vaiśvadeva (a type of sacrifice to the demigods) become free from the sins incurred due to the five unavoidable actions performed by householders, or pañca-sūnā. The Smṛtis inform the householder of the following five objects that are pañca-sūnā: (1) the cooking fire, (2) the grinding instrument, (3) the mortar and pestle, (4) the water-pot and (5) the broom. The word sūnā means ‘the place where animals are slaughtered’. These five household objects are called pañca-sūnā because they may inflict violence upon living entities. It is because of this only that householders do not attain the heavenly planets.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

Sacrifice related with the worship of the demigods, who control the various aspects of the universe, are called vaiśvadeva.

vasu-sato kratu-dakṣau kāla-kāmau dhṛtiḥ kuruḥ
purūravā mādravāś ca viśvadevāḥ prakīrtitāḥ

(Bharata Muni)

The householders unknowingly cause violence to living entities by using the pestle, fire, grinding instrument, water pot and broom.

Those who cook food for themselves become implicated in such sins. Even if they perform their prescribed duties properly, they do not attain the heavenly planets. Therefore, the Smṛtis have prescribed “pañca-sūnā kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ pañca-yajñair vyapohati–the sacrifice called pañca-yajña nullifies the five unavoidable sins incurred by householders.”