Shloka 286

Brahmā’s Instruction on Brahmacarya, Vānaprastha, and the Aliṅga Path

Ethics of Non-attachment

Devanagari script

उपस्पृशेदुद्धृताभिरद्धिश्व॒ पुरुष: सदा । मोक्ष-धर्मके ज्ञाता संन्यासीको उचित है कि सदा पवित्र जलसे काम ले। प्रतिदिन तुरंत निकाले हुए जलसे स्नान करे (बहुत पहलेके भरे हुए जलसे नहीं)

Transliteration

upaspṛśed uddhṛtābhir adbhiś ca puruṣaḥ sadā |

Translation

Vāyu-deva dit : «Qu’un homme accomplisse toujours les purifications avec de l’eau tout juste puisée. Surtout pour celui qui connaît le dharma de la délivrance et vit en renonçant, il convient de s’en remettre à une eau pure et de se baigner chaque jour avec une eau tirée à l’instant, non avec une eau conservée depuis longtemps.»

Word by Word

उपस्पृशेत्should touch/should perform purification by touching (water)

उद्धृताभिःwith freshly drawn (waters)

अद्भिःwith waters

एवindeed/only

पुरुषःa man/person

सदाalways

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

water (freshly drawn)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Purity in daily conduct is maintained through immediate, living sources of cleanliness: one should perform purification and bathing with freshly drawn water, reflecting disciplined renunciation and attentiveness to mokṣa-dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva is instructing about proper ascetic and liberation-oriented conduct, giving a practical rule of ritual hygiene: use freshly drawn water for purification rather than old, stored water.