anna mala

 In Sanskrit, anna‑mala (अन्नमल) means excrement, offal, or the worst kind of spirituous liquor, formed from the compound of anna (“food, especially rice”) and mala (“impurity, waste”).

Core meaning from Sanskrit sources

The term Annamala (अन्नमल) is a tatpuruṣa compound:

• anna = food, especially rice

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• mala = dirt, impurity, bodily waste

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  2 Sources

Together, anna‑mala literally means “the impurity/waste of food.”

Main definitions (from classical lexicons)

According to the detailed entry on Wisdom Library

Wisdom Library

:

• Excrement, faeces — the waste produced from food digestion.
• Offal or sweepings — refuse or discarded matter.
• Spirituous liquor (surā) — specifically the worst kind of liquor, described in Manusmṛti 11.93, where surā is called malam annānām (“the impurity of grains”).
• Ferment of rice — because surā is made from rice preparations.

These meanings reflect how mala is used widely in Sanskrit to denote waste, impurity, or residue, including bodily excretions and by‑products of food processing.

Cultural and textual context

• In Ayurveda, mala refers to bodily waste products such as urine, feces, sweat, etc., produced from food and tissues

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• In Dharmaśāstra, annamala is used to describe surā, a prohibited liquor for certain castes, considered the “impure extract of rice”

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• In Pāṇini’s grammar, the term appears in discussions of compounds involving anna and mala.
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  2 Sources

Not to be confused with mālā (माला)

Some results also show mālā meaning “garland, necklace, rosary”

Wiktionary+1

, but this is a different word with a long vowel (ā) and unrelated meaning.

Summary

anna‑mala (अन्नमल) in Sanskrit means:

• excrement / faeces
• offal or waste
• the worst kind of spirituous liquor (surā)
• fermented residue of rice