Ucchishṭa
Ucchishṭa · ut-śishṭa, “that which is left over”
Grammar: neuter noun, from ut and the root śish (to leave): “that which is left over”.
Meaning: food left during or after a meal.
In the scriptures: Sumantu Muni teaches King Śatānīka the rule of food in the Brahma Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa. Food left during a meal for any reason is called ucchishṭa, and yaksha, bhūta, piśāca and rākshasa gaṇas take shelter in it. Ucchishṭa must not be given to others, and the ucchishṭa of others must not be eaten. One who leaves his food and greedily eats it again loses happiness here and hereafter, as the vaiśya Dhanavardhana did (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 3).
With this he teaches that food must be honoured and never reviled: eaten with praise it gives strength and vīrya, eaten with reviling it takes them away. One must not overeat, for excess food turns to āmla and from āmla comes disease. Through disease snāna, dāna, japa, homa and pitṛ karmas are broken, and overeating breaks health, āyus, the happiness of svarga and all karmas (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 3).
Related terms: Anna · Śauca · Bhojana
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 3