Shloka 29
कामबन्धन-निवृत्ति तथा शान्तिलक्षण-उपदेशः | Release from Desire-Bondage and the Marks of Peace
अत: परं परममुदारमाश्रमं तृतीयमाहुस्त्यजतां कलेवरम् । वनौकसां गृहपतिनामनुत्तमं शृणुष्व संश्लिष्टशरीरकारिणाम्,इस गृहस्थाश्रमके पश्चात् तीसरा उससे भी श्रेष्ठ परम उदार वानप्रस्थ-आश्रम है; जो शरीरको सुखाकर अस्थिचर्मावशिष्ट कर देनेवाले तथा वनमें रहकर तपस्यापूर्वक शरीरको त्यागनेवाले वानप्रस्थियोंका आश्रय है। यह गृहस्थोंसे श्रेष्ठठटम माना गया है, अब इसके धर्म बताता हूँ, सुनो
ataḥ paraṁ paramam udāram āśramaṁ tṛtīyam āhus tyajatāṁ kalevaram | vanaukasāṁ gṛhapatīnām anuttamaṁ śṛṇuṣva saṁśliṣṭa-śarīra-kāriṇām ||
After the householder’s stage comes the third āśrama, the supremely noble and exalted one, called the vānaprastha. It is the refuge of those who, dwelling in the forest, discipline and dry down the body and ultimately relinquish it through austerity. Hear now of this unsurpassed way of life—held higher than the householder’s—for those who undertake such embodied discipline.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vyāsa presents vānaprastha as the third āśrama after gṛhastha, praising it as a higher, nobler discipline oriented toward austerity, detachment, and eventual relinquishment of the body—preparing the practitioner for deeper renunciation and spiritual focus.
In the didactic flow of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa transitions from the householder stage to introduce the forest-dweller stage, announcing its excellence and inviting the listener to hear its specific dharmas and practices.