Shloka 23
Brahmā’s Instruction on Brahmacarya, Vānaprastha, and the Aliṅga Path
Ethics of Non-attachment
नास्वादयीत भुगज्जानो रसांश्व मधुरांस्तथा । यात्रामात्रं च भुज्जीत केवलं प्राणधारणम्
nāsvādayīt bhugjāno rasān madhurāṃs tathā | yātrāmātraṃ ca bhuñjīta kevalaṃ prāṇadhāraṇam ||
वायु-देव ने कहा—भोजन करते समय मधुर रस का भी आस्वादन न करे। केवल प्राण-धारण और जीवन-यात्रा के निर्वाह जितना ही अन्न ग्रहण करे।
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Practice restraint in eating: do not eat for pleasure (especially not for sweet tastes), but take only what is necessary to sustain life. The ethical emphasis is on mastery over the senses and moderation.
Vāyu-deva is giving an instruction (a prescriptive rule) about disciplined conduct: food should be taken as mere sustenance, not as an occasion for sensory indulgence.