Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 41: Aṁśumān Searches for His Uncles and the Horse
Text 1.41.18
कपिलेनाप्रमेयेन दग्धा हीमे महाबलाः।
सलिलं नार्हसि प्राज्ञ दतुमेषां हि लौकिकम्॥
kapilenāprameyena dagdhā hīme mahā-balāḥ
salilaṁ nārhasi prājña datum eṣāṁ hi laukikam
kapilena = by Lord Kapila; aprameyena = of immeasurable prowess; dagdhāḥ = have been burnt; hi = because; ime = these prices; mahā-balāḥ = of great strength; salilam = oblations with water; na arhasi = you should not; prājña = O intelligent one; datum = offer; eṣām hi = them; laukikam = ordinary.
O intelligent one, because these princes of great strength have been burnt by Lord Kapila of immeasurable prowess, you should not offer them oblations with ordinary water.
Laukikam salilam indicates that Aṁśumān should not offer them water commonly obtained. The Smṛti enjoins:
caṇḍālād udakāt sarpād vaidyutād brāhmaṇād api
daṁṣṭribhyaś ca paśubhyaś ca maraṇaṁ papa-karmaṇām
udakaṁ piṇḍa-dānaṁ ca etebhyo yad vidhīyate
nopatiṣṭhati tat sarvam antarikṣe vinaśyati
“Oblations and offering of piṇḍa to those sinful persons who have died because of a caṇḍāla, water, snake, lightning, brāhmaṇa or tusked animals are not effective. All such offerings are destroyed in outer space.1”
The sons of Sagara were destroyed by Lord Kapila, a brāhmaṇa.2