dÄ«ká¹£ÄyÄḥ paÅ›u-saá¹sthÄyÄḥ
sautrÄmaṇyÄÅ› ca sattamÄḥ
anyatra dÄ«ká¹£itasyÄpi
nÄnnam aÅ›nan hi duá¹£yati
dÄ«ká¹£ÄyÄḥ - beginning with the initiation for a sacrifice; paÅ›u-saá¹sthÄyÄḥ - until sacrificing the animal; sautrÄmaṇyÄḥ - outside of the sacrifice known as SautrÄmaṇi; ca - and; sat-tamÄḥ - O purest ones; anyatra - elsewhere; dÄ«ká¹£itasya - of one who has been initiated for the sacrifice; api - even; na - not; annam - food; aÅ›nan - eating; hi - indeed; duá¹£yati - creates offense.
Except during the interval between the initiation of the performer of a sacrifice and the actual sacrifice of the animal, O most pure brÄhmaṇas, it is not contaminating for even the initiated to partake of food, at least in sacrifices other than the SautrÄmaṇi.
The cowherd boys anticipated the possible objection from the brÄhmaṇas that they couldn’t give the boys any food because they themselves had not yet eaten, and that a priest initiated to perform a sacrifice should not eat. Therefore the boys humbly informed the brÄhmaṇas about various technicalities of ritualistic sacrifice. The cowherd boys were not unaware of the formalities of Vedic culture, but their real intention was simply to render loving service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
