SB 11.21.13 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

अमेध्यलिप्तं यद् येन गन्धलेपं व्यपोहति । भजते प्रकृतिं तस्य तच्छौचं तावदिष्यते ॥ १३ ॥

Verse text

amedhya-liptaṁ yad yena gandha-lepaṁ vyapohati bhajate prakṛtiṁ tasya tac chaucaṁ tāvad iṣyate

Synonyms

amedhya — by something impure ; liptam — touched ; yat — that thing which ; yena — by which ; gandha — the bad smell ; lepam — and the impure covering ; vyapohati — gives up ; bhajate — the contaminated object again assumes ; prakṛtim — its original nature ; tasya — of that object ; tat — that application ; śaucam — purification ; tāvat — to that extent ; iṣyate — is considered .

Translation

A particular purifying agent is considered appropriate when its application removes the bad odor or dirty covering of some contaminated object and makes it resume its original nature.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

An object is considered pure when it gives up contamination and bad smell by applying suitable purifying agents and returns to its original state. If a seat, cloth or vessel is contaminated by an impure item, it gives up the contamination and smell by water, earth, acids, soap, and scraping. It is then restored to its original nature. That is its purity. One should measure the purification from the extent that the contamination by smell is removed by scraping or other means.

Purport

Furniture, kitchen utensils, clothing and other objects are purified by application of abrasion, alkali, acid, water and so on. One thereby removes the bad fragrance or impure coating of such objects, restoring them to their original clean appearance.