The old Devala law-book — fragments 2: Food

English (machine translation) 2

Language: English

Food

2.1

One who, having bathed and washed his feet, pure, adorned with garland and perfume, eats what remains of the five sacrifices, eats ambrosia.

A wise man should not eat seeds except in illness, for he destroys their endless fruits. He should not take food with milk at night, nor, having eaten (it), sleep at night; he should not reject milk offered, for milk is held pure.

2.3

Of water creatures, snails, oysters, nail-shells, porpoises, frogs and fish of misshapen form are not to be eaten.

2.4

Of vegetables, śleṣmātaka, vajraphalī, safflower, lotus tops and gṛñjana are declared not to be eaten; one should avoid onion, garlic, soured things and exudations altogether, and kucunda, white eggplant and gourd.

2.5

Food that has turned sour or been kept overnight they always call unfit, except honey, barley-meal, sweetmeats, ghee and molasses. What has been licked by dogs, cats, crows, cocks or mice he should not use for eating, for by dharma it is impure.

2.6

One's own slave, the barber, the cowherd, the potter and the ploughman: these five of Śūdra birth are men whose food even Brahmins may eat.

2.7

Whoever feeds a Brahmin without ghee when there is ghee in the house goes without doubt to a terrible hell hereafter.

2.8

Taking a little of every leaving of the meal, before sipping, he should offer it with water on the ground to those whose share is the leavings.

Linked texts (1)

Devalasmṛti (fragments) — Sanskrit