Shloka 22

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

Ethics of Non-attachment

Devanagari script

अभिपूजितलाभाद्धि विजुगुप्सेत भिक्षुक: | भुक्तान्यन्नानि तिक्तानि कषायकटुकानि च,मान-प्रतिष्ठाके लाभसे संन्यासीको घृणा करनी चाहिये। वह खाये हुए तिक्त, कसैले तथा कड़वे अन्नका स्वाद न ले

Transliteration

abhipūjitalābhād dhi vijugupseta bhikṣukaḥ | bhuktāny annāni tiktāni kaṣāyakaṭukāni ca ||

Translation

Vāyu bersabda: “Seorang pengemis hendaknya merasa jijik terhadap keuntungan yang datang karena dimuliakan secara khusus. Ia hendaknya menerima sebagai santapannya hanya makanan yang telah dimakan—yang pahit, sepat, atau pedas—agar ia tidak terikat pada rasa, kenyamanan, atau hasrat akan kedudukan.”

Word by Word

अभिपूजितfrom (being) honored / from honor

लाभात्from gain

हिindeed / for

विजुगुप्सेतshould feel disgust / should shun

भिक्षुकःa mendicant / beggar

भुक्तानिeaten / consumed

अन्नानिfoods

तिक्तानिbitter

कषायastringent

कटुकानिpungent / bitter-sharp

चand

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

bhikṣuka (mendicant/renunciant)

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?

A renunciant should reject gains that arise from public honor and prestige, and should practice austerity and simplicity in food, so that pride, craving, and dependence on social validation do not arise.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva is instructing about the proper conduct of a mendicant: shunning status-based rewards and accepting humble, even unpalatable leftovers, as a discipline to maintain inner freedom and humility.