Shloka 12
Vānaprastha-vṛtti and the Transition toward the Fourth Āśrama (वानप्रस्थवृत्तिः चतुर्थाश्रमोपक्रमश्च)
त्यागसूक्ष्मानुग: क्षेम्य: शौचगो ध्यानगोचर: । जीवयुक्तो रथो दिव्यो ब्रह्मलोके विराजते
tyāga-sūkṣmānugaḥ kṣemyaḥ śaucago dhyānagocaraḥ | jīvayukto ratho divyo brahmaloke virājate ||
Vyāsa dit : «Ce char divin, uni au vivant, resplendit dans le monde de Brahman. Il est accompagné de la qualité subtile du renoncement, apporte le vrai bien et la sécurité, se meut dans la pureté et parcourt la sphère de la méditation. Dans cette image, la vie disciplinée—guidée par la connaissance et les sens contenus—devient le véhicule par lequel le connaisseur incarné est mené au-delà du mouvement du monde vers la réalité suprême.»
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that liberation-oriented life is an inner ‘chariot’: when guided by meditation, purity, and especially subtle renunciation (tyāga), the jīva becomes fit to abide in Brahmaloka—i.e., to attain the highest spiritual state. Ethical discipline and contemplative knowledge are presented as the practical vehicle of transcendence.
Vyāsa continues an extended allegory describing yoga and self-mastery as a chariot with parts corresponding to virtues, faculties, and guiding principles. This particular verse concludes the image by stating the chariot’s qualities—welfare-bringing, pure, meditation-ranged, attended by renunciation—and its destination: it shines in Brahmaloka, implying successful ascent of the self through disciplined practice.