The Duration and Rules of Sutaka Impurity

Verse 1 (garuda.2.39.1)

तार्क्ष्य उवाच । सूतकानां विधिं ब्रूहि दयां कृत्वा मयिप्रभो । विवेकाय हि चित्तस्य मानवानां हिताय च

tārkṣya uvāca sūtakānāṁ vidhiṁ brūhi dayāṁ kṛtvā mayiprabho vivekāya hi cittasya mānavānāṁ hitāya ca

Tarkshya said: "O Lord, show me compassion and tell me the rule of sutaka impurity, for the discernment of men's minds and for their good."

Verse 2 (garuda.2.39.2)

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । मृते जन्मनी पक्षीन्द्र सूतकं स्याच्चतुर्विधम् । चतुर्णामपि वर्णानां सामान्यते विवर्जितम्

śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca mṛte janmanī pakṣīndra sūtakaṁ syāccaturvidham caturṇāmapi varṇānāṁ sāmānyate vivarjitam

Shri Krishna said: "O prince of birds, upon a birth or a death sutaka arises in four forms; in general it excludes none among the four varnas."

Verse 3 (garuda.2.39.3)

उभयत्र दशाहानि कुलस्यान्नं विवर्जियेत् । दानं प्रतिग्रहो होमः स्वाध्यायश्च निवर्तते

ubhayatra daśāhāni kulasyānnaṁ vivarjiyet dānaṁ pratigraho homaḥ svādhyāyaśca nivartate

"In both cases, for ten days the food of that family should be avoided; giving, receiving, the fire-offering, and Vedic recitation are suspended."

Verse 4 (garuda.2.39.4)

देशं कालं तथात्मानं द्रव्यं द्रव्यप्रयाजनम् । उपपत्तिंव्मवस्थाञ्च ज्ञात्वां कर्म समाचरेत्

deśaṁ kālaṁ tathātmānaṁ dravyaṁ dravyaprayājanam upapattiṁvmavasthāñca jñātvāṁ karma samācaret

"One should act only after knowing the place, the time, one's own condition, the substance involved, its purpose, and the circumstance."

Verse 5 (garuda.2.39.5)

गुहावह्निप्रवेसे च देशान्तरमृतेषु च । स्नानं सचेलं कर्तव्यं सद्यः शौचं विधीयते

guhāvahnipravese ca deśāntaramṛteṣu ca snānaṁ sacelaṁ kartavyaṁ sadyaḥ śaucaṁ vidhīyate

"In case of death in a cave, by entering fire, or in a foreign land, bathing with one's clothes on should be performed; immediate purification is then prescribed."

Verse 6 (garuda.2.39.6)

आमगर्भाश्च ये जीवा ये च गर्भाद्विनिः सृताः । न तेषामग्निसंस्कारो नाशौचं नोदकक्रिया

āmagarbhāśca ye jīvā ye ca garbhādviniḥ sṛtāḥ na teṣāmagnisaṁskāro nāśaucaṁ nodakakriyā

"For beings that perish while still unformed in the womb, or that die immediately upon leaving it, there is no fire-consecration, no impurity, and no water-rite."

Verse 7 (garuda.2.39.7)

शिल्पिनः कारवो वैद्या दासीदासास्तथैव च । राजानः श्रोतियाश्चैव सद्यः शौचाः प्रकीर्तिताः

śilpinaḥ kāravo vaidyā dāsīdāsāstathaiva ca rājānaḥ śrotiyāścaiva sadyaḥ śaucāḥ prakīrtitāḥ

"Craftsmen, artisans, physicians, male and female servants, kings, and Vedic scholars are declared to be purified immediately."

Verse 8 (garuda.2.39.8)

सत्री च (व्रती) मन्त्रपूतश्च आहिताग्निर्नृपस्तथा । एतेषां सूतकं नास्ति यस्य चेच्छन्ति पार्थिवाः

satrī ca (vratī) mantrapūtaśca āhitāgnirnṛpastathā eteṣāṁ sūtakaṁ nāsti yasya cecchanti pārthivāḥ

"A woman under a vow, one purified by mantra, one who maintains the sacred fire, and a king — for these there is no sutaka, or it applies as rulers themselves determine."

Verse 9 (garuda.2.39.9)

प्रसवे च सपिण्डानां न कुर्यात्सङ्करं द्विजः । दशाहाच्छ्रुध्यते माता अवगाह्य पिता शुचिः

prasave ca sapiṇḍānāṁ na kuryātsaṅkaraṁ dvijaḥ daśāhācchrudhyate mātā avagāhya pitā śuciḥ

"A brahmin should not confuse the rules at the birth of sapinda kinsmen; the mother becomes pure after ten days, the father becomes pure by bathing."

Verse 10 (garuda.2.39.10)

विवाहोत्सवयज्ञेषु अन्तरा मृतसूतके । पूर्वसङ्कल्पितं वित्तं भोज्यं तन्मनुरब्रवीत्

vivāhotsavayajñeṣu antarā mṛtasūtake pūrvasaṅkalpitaṁ vittaṁ bhojyaṁ tanmanurabravīt

"If death-impurity occurs in the midst of a wedding, festival, or sacrifice, wealth and food already resolved upon beforehand may still be used — so Manu has declared."

Verse 11 (garuda.2.39.11)

सर्वेषामेवमाशौचं मातापित्रोस्तु सूतकम् । सूकतं मातुरेवस्यादुपस्पृश्य पिता शुचिः

sarveṣāmevamāśaucaṁ mātāpitrostu sūtakam sūkataṁ māturevasyādupaspṛśya pitā śuciḥ

"Thus there is impurity for all, but the sutaka belongs to mother and father alone; the sutaka is truly the mother's, and the father becomes pure by touching water."

Verse 12 (garuda.2.39.12)

अन्तर्दशाहे स्याताञ्चेत्पुनर्मरणजन्मनी । तावत्स्यादशुचिर्विप्रो यावत्तत्स्यादनिर्दशम्

antardaśāhe syātāñcetpunarmaraṇajanmanī tāvatsyādaśucirvipro yāvattatsyādanirdaśam

"If another death or birth occurs within the ten days, the brahmin remains impure until that new ten-day period is itself completed."

Verse 13 (garuda.2.39.13)

उदिते नियमे दाने आर्ते विप्रे निवेदयेत् । तथैव ऋषिभिः प्रोक्तं यथाकालं न दुष्यति

udite niyame dāne ārte vipre nivedayet tathaiva ṛṣibhiḥ proktaṁ yathākālaṁ na duṣyati

"Once the observance and the gift and the circumstance are clear, one should inform the afflicted brahmin; the sages likewise have said that a rite performed in due time incurs no fault."

Verse 14 (garuda.2.39.14)

मृन्मयेन तु पात्रेण तिलैर्मिश्रजलैः सह । मृत्तिकया तथान्ते च नरः स्नात्वा शुचिर्भवेत्

mṛnmayena tu pātreṇa tilairmiśrajalaiḥ saha mṛttikayā tathānte ca naraḥ snātvā śucirbhavet

"With an earthen vessel of water mixed with sesame, and finally with clay, a man becomes pure after bathing."

Verse 15 (garuda.2.39.15)

दानं परिषदे दद्यात्सुवर्णं गोवृषं द्विजे । क्षत्त्रियो द्विगुणं चैव वैश्यस्तु त्रिगुणं तथा

dānaṁ pariṣade dadyātsuvarṇaṁ govṛṣaṁ dvije kṣattriyo dviguṇaṁ caiva vaiśyastu triguṇaṁ tathā

"In assembly, gold or a bull should be given to a brahmin; a kshatriya double that, and a vaishya three times as much."

Verse 16 (garuda.2.39.16)

चतुर्गुणन्तु शूद्रेण दातव्यं ब्राह्मणे धनम् । एव मनुक्रमेणैव चातुर्वर्ण्यं विशुध्यति

caturguṇantu śūdreṇa dātavyaṁ brāhmaṇe dhanam eva manukrameṇaiva cāturvarṇyaṁ viśudhyati

"A shudra should give a brahmin fourfold the wealth; in this same order, according to Manu, the four varnas are purified."

Verse 17 (garuda.2.39.17)

सप्ताष्टमान्तरै शीर्णे गृह्यसंस्कारवर्जिते । अहस्तु सूतकं तस्य त्वब्दानां संख्यया स्मृतम्

saptāṣṭamāntarai śīrṇe gṛhyasaṁskāravarjite ahastu sūtakaṁ tasya tvabdānāṁ saṁkhyayā smṛtam

"For one whose body has decayed within seven or eight days, excluded from the household rites, the duration of impurity for him is reckoned by a count of years."

Verse 18 (garuda.2.39.18)

ब्राह्मणार्थे विपन्ना ये नारीणां गोग्रहेषु च । आहवेषु विपन्नानामेकरात्त्रमशौचकम्

brāhmaṇārthe vipannā ye nārīṇāṁ gograheṣu ca āhaveṣu vipannānāmekarāttramaśaucakam

"Those who die in the defense of a brahmin, of women, or of cows, or upon the battlefield, incur impurity for only a single night."

Verse 19 (garuda.2.39.19)

न तेषामशुभं किञ्चिद्विप्राणां शुभकर्मणि । अनाथप्रेतसंस्कारं ये कुर्वन्तु नरोत्तमः

na teṣāmaśubhaṁ kiñcidviprāṇāṁ śubhakarmaṇi anāthapretasaṁskāraṁ ye kurvantu narottamaḥ

"For those brahmins nothing inauspicious attaches to any auspicious rite. Those excellent men who perform the funeral rite of an unclaimed preta —"

Verse 20 (garuda.2.39.20)

न तेषामशुभङ्किञ्चिद्विप्रेण सहकारिणा । जलावगाहनात्तेषां सद्यः शुद्धिरुदाहृता

na teṣāmaśubhaṅkiñcidvipreṇa sahakāriṇā jalāvagāhanātteṣāṁ sadyaḥ śuddhirudāhṛtā

"for them, and for the assisting brahmin as well, nothing inauspicious attaches; their immediate purification is declared through immersion in water."

Verse 21 (garuda.2.39.21)

विनिवृत्ता यदा शूद्रा उदकान्तमुपस्थिताः । तदाविप्रेणद्रष्टव्या इति वेदविदोविदुः

vinivṛttā yadā śūdrā udakāntamupasthitāḥ tadāvipreṇadraṣṭavyā iti vedavidoviduḥ

"When shudras, their period of impurity finished, come to stand at the water's edge, they should then be looked upon by a brahmin — so the knowers of the Veda understand."