SB 11.18.5

SB 11.18.5

Devanagari

अग्निपक्वं समश्न‍ीयात् कालपक्व‍मथापि वा । उलूखलाश्मकुट्टो वा दन्तोलूखल एव वा ॥ ५ ॥

Verse text

agni-pakvaṁ samaśnīyāt kāla-pakvam athāpi vā ulūkhalāśma-kuṭṭo vā dantolūkhala eva vā

Synonyms

agni by fire ; pakvam made ready to eat ; samaśnīyāt one should eat ; kāla by time ; pakvam right for eating ; atha else ; api indeed ; or ; ulūkhala with grinding mortar ; aśma and stone ; kuṭṭaḥ pulverized, ground up ; or ; danta using the teeth ; ulūkhalaḥ as a grinding mortar ; eva indeed ; or, alternatively .

Translation

One may eat foodstuffs prepared with fire, such as grains, or fruits ripened by time. One may grind one’s food with mortar and stone or with one’s own teeth.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

He may eat food cooked by fire such as grains or fruits ripened by time. He may grind his food with a mortar and stone or with his own teeth. He can grind food with mortar and pestle or use his teeth as a mortar.

Purport

In Vedic civilization it is recommended that at the end of one’s life one should go to a holy place or forest for spiritual perfection. In sacred forests one does not find restaurants, supermarkets, fast-food chains and so on, and thus one must eat simply, reducing sense gratification. Although in the Western countries people eat processed food, one living simply must himself separate and pulverize grains and other foods before eating. This is referred to here.