Shloka 21
Vānaprastha-vṛtti and the Transition toward the Fourth Āśrama (वानप्रस्थवृत्तिः चतुर्थाश्रमोपक्रमश्च)
अथ श्चैतां गतिं गत्वा वायव्यं सूक्ष्ममप्युत । अशुक्लं चेतस: सौक्ष्म्यमप्युक्तं ब्राह्मणस्य वै
atha ścaitāṁ gatiṁ gatvā vāyavyaṁ sūkṣmam apy uta | aśuklaṁ cetasaḥ saukṣmyam apy uktaṁ brāhmaṇasya vai ||
Vyāsa sprach: „Hat er dann diesen Weg weiter beschritten, so wird selbst das feine luftige Prinzip erreicht und überschritten. Es wird gelehrt, dass für den Brāhmaṇa — den kontemplativen Sucher — dessen Ziel die Verwirklichung des Brahman ist, der Geist überaus subtil und ‚nicht-weiß‘ wird: nicht länger von gewöhnlichen, offen zutage tretenden Eigenschaften gezeichnet; ein Zeichen der inneren Auflösung grober Identität, während der Yogin zur Meisterschaft über die Elemente und zur Versenkung in die feinste Weite fortschreitet.“
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a yogic progression in which the practitioner’s consciousness becomes extremely subtle as one transcends the airy principle (vāyu-tattva). This subtlety of mind is presented as a sign of approaching brahman-realization, where gross self-awareness and ordinary qualities no longer dominate.
Vyāsa describes an inner, contemplative process: after following a certain spiritual ‘course’ (gati), the seeker reaches even the subtle domain associated with vāyu. In that state, the mind of the brahman-seeking practitioner is said to become ‘aśukla’ and exceedingly subtle, indicating dissolution of grosser levels of experience.