Shloka 5
सूक्ष्मभूत-भूतात्मविज्ञानम्
Knowing the subtle principle and the bhūtātman through yoga
एकश्चरति य: पश्यन् न जहाति न हीयते । अनग्निरनिकेतश्न ग्राममन्नार्थमा श्रयेत्,जो आत्मतत्त्वका साक्षात्कार करके एकाकी विचरता रहता है, वह सर्वव्यापी होनेके कारण न तो स्वयं किसीका त्याग करता है और न दूसरे ही उसका त्याग करते हैं। संन्यासी कभी न तो अग्निकी स्थापना करे और न घर या मठ ही बनाकर रहे; केवल भिक्षा लेनेके लिये ही गाँवमें जाय
ekaś carati yaḥ paśyan na jahāti na hīyate | anagnir aniketaś ca grāmam annārtham āśrayet ||
Vyāsa said: “One who, seeing the truth, wanders alone does not abandon anyone, nor is he abandoned by anyone—for, being all-pervading, he stands beyond the usual bonds of possession and rejection. A renunciant should keep no sacred fire and should not settle by building a house or monastery; he should enter a village only for the sake of obtaining alms.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the ideal of a self-realized renunciant: living without attachment, not defining relationships through possession or rejection, and maintaining radical simplicity—no ritual fire, no fixed residence—approaching society only to receive alms.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Vyāsa describes the conduct (ācāra) of a true saṃnyāsin: solitary wandering grounded in insight, and a disciplined lifestyle that avoids settling down or engaging in household/ritual obligations.