Shloka 12
प्रतीप–गङ्गा संवादः तथा शंतनु–गङ्गा विवाहशर्तिः
Pratīpa and Gaṅgā; Śaṃtanu’s marriage condition
अनग्निरनिकेतश्चाप्यगोत्रचरणो मुनि: । कौपीनाच्छादनं यावत् तावदिच्छेच्च चीवरम्,जो अग्नि और गृहको त्याग चुका है, जिसका गोत्र और चरण (वेदकी शाखा एवं जाति)-से भी सम्बन्ध नहीं रह गया है, जो मौन रहता है और उतने ही वस्त्रकी इच्छा रखता है जितनेसे लंगोटी और ओढ़नेका काम चल जाय; इसी प्रकार जितनेसे प्राणोंकी रक्षा हो सके उतना ही भोजन चाहता है; इस नियमसे गाँवमें निवास करनेवाले उस (संन्यासी) मुनिके लिये अरण्य पीछे समझा जाता है
anagnir aniketaś cāpy agotraracaraṇo muniḥ | kaupīnācchādanaṃ yāvat tāvad icchec ca cīvaram |
Aṣṭaka said: “A sage who has abandoned the sacred fire and household life, who no longer identifies with lineage (gotra) or Vedic school (caraṇa), and who lives in silence—such a renunciant should desire only so much clothing as suffices for a loincloth and a simple covering. Living by this rule of strict minimal need, even if he stays near a village, he is to be regarded as one who truly dwells in the forest—because his ‘forest’ is his inner detachment rather than a mere location.”
अद्टक उवाच
Educational Q&A
True renunciation is defined by non-attachment and minimal needs: giving up household identity (fire, home, lineage, Vedic affiliation) and desiring only the bare necessities, especially in clothing, as a discipline of detachment.
Aṣṭaka is describing the marks and conduct of an authentic muni/renunciant. He emphasizes that the renouncer’s status is determined by inner discipline and restraint rather than by external location or social identifiers.