SAUNDARANANDA 14.9: Picky Eaters Will Be Prosecuted

yasmaan n' aasti vin" aahaaraat
sarva-praaNa-bhRtaam sthitiH
tasmaad duShyati n'aahaaro
vikalpo 'tra tu vaaryate

= = = - - = = =
= - = - - = - =
= = = - - = = =
- = = - - = - =

14.9
Since without food there is none that survives

Among those that bear breath,

Therefore eating food is not a sin;

But being choosy, in this area, is prohibited.

COMMENT:
Vikalpa in the 4th line is, in the eating of food, just what is forbidden. I think that in this context it means fussiness, being a picky eater, being choosy.

At the same time, there might be some philosophical meaning to be dug out from the opposition between the parikalpa, "fixing, being set," proscribed at the end of Canto 13 as that which binds us to objects, and the vikalpa, "presence of options, not being set," proscribed here.

In the spirit of "less is more," I will leave you to dig it out for yourself, and remind myself that I am here primarily to dig it out for myself, not to keep on trying ad nauseam to nail down in words what cannot be nailed down in words. But I will add this, as a reflection:

When a forest monk is offered a biscuit with a cup of afternoon tea, in all probability, he will smile and say no thanks.

EH Johnston:
Since no creature drawing breath can exist without food, therefore to take food is not wrong, but a choice of foods is prohibited,

Linda Covill:
Since none who bear breath can continue to exist without food, eating is not wrong. However, a choice of foods is not permitted,

VOCABULARY:
yasmaat (correlative of tasmaat): since
na: not
asti: there is
vinaa: without
aahaaraat = ablative of aahaara: food

sarva: all
praaNa-bhRtaam = genitive plural of praaNa-bhRti: breath-bearing
sthitiH (nom. sg.): f. standing upright or firmly , not falling ; continuance in being , maintenance of life

tasmaat: therefore
duShyati = 3rd pers. sg. of duSh: to become bad or corrupted , to be defiled or impure , to be ruined , perish ; to sin , commit a fault , be wrong
na: not
aahaaraH (nom. sg.): m. taking food, food

vikalpaH (nom. sg.): m. alternation , alternative , option ; variation , combination , variety , diversity , manifoldness ; indecision , irresolution, doubt ; false notion , fancy , imagination
atra: ind. (fr. pronominal base a ; often used in sense of loc. case asmin), in this matter , in this respect
tu: but
vaaryate = 3rd pers. sg. passive of vR: to prohibit, forbid