Manava Dharmashastra 5.123

5.123

atra jagdhipadānniṅgādannaviṣayatā'sya ślokasya pratīyate | pakṣibhistu śukādibhiranyaiśca bhakṣyairyadannamucchiṣṭīkṛtam, na tu kākakaṅkagṛdhrādibhiḥ | tatra hi mahatprāyaścittaṃ "patatriṇā'valīḍhamiti" tadetaduktaṃ prakṛtyāśuddhe bhojanaprāyaścittam | tathā ca tatpulyaprāyaścittasya gavā ghrātasya naiva śuddhiḥ | bhavedaya nyāyaḥ | tathāpi smṛtyantarasamācārāvanveṣyau | evaṃ hi śiṣṭā daśaśarāvādhikaṃ kākādikravyādopahṛtaṃ tāvanmātramapanīyāvaśiṣṭaṃ śodhayitvopayuñjate arvāktu tat tyajanti | atrāpyavasthāviśeṣo'pekṣyaḥ | smṛtyantare tu kṛṣṇaśakuninopahṛtamapi niṣiddham | avadhūtaṃ mukhaśvāsenāvakampitam | vāsaso vā yasyopari rajo'panayanārthamutkṣepakṣādi kriyate ākāśadeśāt | avakṣutaṃ yasyopari kṣutaṃ tadeva | keśā manuṣyāṇāṃ cyutāḥ | kīṭāḥ kṣudrajantavaḥ kṛmayaḥ | te kecidgṛhasvedānnādyajāste jīvanto makṣikāvannopaghnanti | mṛtānāṃ teṣāmannasaṃsarge śuddhiriyam | ye tvamedhyasaṃsargajāste viḍbhojinaśca, teṣāṃ jīvatāmapi | gautamīyaṃ ( a0 17 sū0 8 | 6 ) "nityamabhojyam, keśakīṭāvapannamiti" | bahuvyāptau sarvatra tyāgaḥ | mahārāśāvaśucīkīṭasaṃsarge'pi svalpe tanmātrāpanayanamavaśiṣṭasya śuddhiḥ | kāñcanarajatadarbhamayīnāṃ vārisahitānāṃ sparśaḥ smṛtyantare keśādyavapanne vihitaḥ | avajvalanamapi kvacit | ye tu bhūmerimāṃ śuddhimāhustaiḥ smṛtyantarasamācāro vākyārthaśca tyaktaḥ |

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).