Shloka 9
ययातिरुवाच अरण्ये वसतो यस्य ग्रामो भवति पृष्ठत: । ग्रामे वा वसतो5रण्यं स मुनि: स्थाज्जनाधिप,ययातिने कहा--जनेश्वर! अरण्यमें निवास करते समय जिसके लिये ग्राम पीछे होता है और ग्राममें वास करते समय जिसके लिये अरण्य पीछे होता है, वह मुनि कहलाता है
yayātir uvāca: araṇye vasato yasya grāmo bhavati pṛṣṭhataḥ | grāme vā vasato 'raṇyaṃ sa muniḥ syāj janādhipa ||
Yayāti said: “O lord of men, that person is truly a sage for whom, even while living in the forest, the village remains ‘behind’—not clung to—and even while living in the village, the forest remains ‘behind,’ for inner detachment is unchanged.”
अष्टक उवाच
Educational Q&A
A true muni is defined by inner detachment, not by external setting: whether in forest or village, he keeps both ‘behind’—neither worldly life nor ascetic environment becomes an object of dependence or pride.
Yayāti addresses a king (janādhipa) and offers a criterion for recognizing a sage: the sage’s mind remains free from attachment to either social life (grāma) or solitary austerity (araṇya), treating both as secondary to inner discipline.