Shloka 273
Brahmā’s Instruction on Brahmacarya, Vānaprastha, and the Aliṅga Path
Ethics of Non-attachment
संचयांश्व न कुर्वीत स्नेहवासं च वर्जयेत् । जबतक सूर्यका प्रकाश रहे तभीतक संन्यासीके लिये रास्ता चलना उचित है। वह कीड़ेकी तरह धीरे-धीरे समूची पृथ्वीपर विचरता रहे और यात्राके समय जीवोंपर दया करके पृथ्वीको अच्छी तरह देख-भालकर आगे पाँव रखे। किसी प्रकारका संग्रह न करे और कहीं भी आसक्तिपूर्वक निवास न करे
sañcayānśva na kurvīta snehavāsaṃ ca varjayet | yāvat sūryasya prakāśo bhavati tāvat saṃnyāsinaḥ pathi gamanaṃ yuktam | sa kīṭa iva śanaiḥ śanaiḥ samastāṃ pṛthivīṃ paryaṭet, yātrākāle jīveṣu dayāṃ kṛtvā pṛthivīṃ samyak parīkṣya pādaṃ nyaset | na kiñcid api sañcayaṃ kuryāt, na ca kvacid āsaktipūrvakaṃ nivāsaṃ kuryāt |
Vāyu said: “A renunciant should not accumulate possessions, and should avoid settling anywhere out of attachment. Only while the sun’s light remains is it proper for a wandering ascetic to travel the road. Moving slowly like a tiny creature, he should roam over the whole earth; and while journeying, out of compassion for living beings, he should carefully look at the ground and place each step with attention. He should make no hoard of any kind and should not dwell anywhere with clinging.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage teaches renunciant discipline: do not hoard, do not settle anywhere out of attachment, travel only by day, and practice active compassion by walking with mindful care so as not to harm living beings.
Vāyudeva is instructing on the proper conduct of a saṃnyāsin, outlining practical rules for wandering life—daytime travel, slow and attentive movement, and freedom from possessions and place-based attachment.