Shloka 23
महाभूत–इन्द्रिय–मनस्–बुद्धि–अन्तरात्मा विवेकः | Discrimination of Elements, Senses, Mind, Intellect, and Inner Self
चतुर्थे चायुष: शेषे वानप्रस्थाश्रमं त्यजेत् । सद्यस्कारां निरूप्येष्टिं सर्ववेदसदक्षिणाम्
caturthe cāyuṣaḥ śeṣe vānaprasthāśramaṃ tyajet | sadyaskārāṃ nirūpyeṣṭiṃ sarvavedasadakṣiṇām ||
Vyāsa dit : Lorsque demeure le quatrième et dernier quart de la vie, on doit quitter l’état de vānaprastha, la retraite en forêt. Après avoir ordonné les rites à accomplir sans délai et institué une offrande sacrificielle accompagnée des dons (dakṣiṇā) prescrits par tous les Veda, on doit aller de l’avant—marquant le passage éthique des devoirs domestiques et rituels vers le renoncement total.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches āśrama-dharma: as life enters its final quarter, one should let go of the forest-dweller stage and, after duly completing necessary rites and Veda-sanctioned sacrificial obligations with proper gifts, move toward full renunciation and spiritual single-mindedness.
Vyāsa is laying down a normative guideline for the progression of life-stages. He describes the transition point late in life: completing remaining ritual responsibilities (including an iṣṭi with appropriate dakṣiṇā) and then abandoning vānaprastha, implying the next step toward a renunciate ideal.