anna doṣa

 Anna doṣa means a fault, impurity, or sin related to food, especially eating prohibited or impure items.

Core meaning from Sanskrit dictionaries

• Annadoṣa (अन्नदोष) is defined as “a sin committed with reference to the laws of diet, e.g., by eating garlic, onions, mushrooms, or other prohibited foods.”

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• It is a tatpuruṣa compound:
  • anna = food

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  • doṣa = fault, defect, impurity, or something that vitiates

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So the compound literally means “fault concerning food” or “food-related impurity.”

How doṣa functions in Sanskrit

The word doṣa has a broad semantic range:

• In general Sanskrit: fault, defect, blemish, sin, or error

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• In Ayurveda: a vitiating factor or bodily humor (vāta, pitta, kapha) that can become imbalanced and cause disease

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In anna doṣa, the meaning is the moral or ritual fault, not the Ayurvedic humor.

Cultural and textual context

Traditional dietary rules in many Sanskritic and Dharmashāstra contexts classify certain foods as impure or prohibited. Eating such items is considered an anna-doṣa, a lapse in dietary discipline or ritual purity. Examples given in the dictionary include garlic, onions, mushrooms, and similar foods considered unsuitable in certain ritual or ascetic contexts

Wisdom Library

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Summary

• anna = food
• doṣa = fault / impurity
• anna doṣa = fault or impurity arising from food, especially from eating foods considered prohibited or impure.