Shloka 50
Brahmā’s Instruction on Brahmacarya, Vānaprastha, and the Aliṅga Path
Ethics of Non-attachment
न तत्र क्रमते बुद्धिर्नेन्द्रियाणि न देवता: । वेदा यज्ञाक्ष लोकाक्ष न तपो न व्रतानि च,उस आत्मतत्त्वतक बुद्धि, इन्द्रिय और देवताओंकी भी पहुँच नहीं होती। जहाँ केवल ज्ञानवान् महात्माओंकी ही गति है, वहाँ वेद, यज्ञ, लोक, तप और व्रतका भी प्रवेश नहीं होता; क्योंकि वह बाह्य चिह्लसे रहित मानी गयी है। इसलिये बाह्य चिह्नोंसे रहित धर्मको जानकर उसका यथार्थरूपसे पालन करना चाहिये
na tatra kramate buddhir nendriyāṇi na devatāḥ | vedā yajñāś ca lokāś ca na tapo na vratāni ca ||
Vāyu said: “In that supreme reality, neither the intellect can advance, nor the senses, nor even the gods. There, neither the Vedas nor sacrifices, nor the worlds of ordinary experience have entry—nor austerity, nor vows. For it is held to be beyond external marks. Therefore, having understood the dharma that is free from outward signs, one should practice it in its true form.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the highest reality (ātma-tattva) is beyond the reach of intellect, senses, and even divine powers, and cannot be entered through external religious markers like ritual, austerity, or vows; true dharma is inward, markless, and must be practiced in its authentic essence.
Vāyu (the Wind-god) is instructing the listener on the nature of ultimate truth and the kind of dharma that leads toward it, shifting emphasis from outward rites and observances to inner realization and the formless, signless path known to the wise.