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,भोजन करते समय मधुर रसका भी आस्वादन न करे। केवल जीवन-निर्वाहके उद्देश्यसे प्राण-धारणमात्रके लिये उपयोगी अन्नका आहार करे
nāsvādayīt bhugjāno rasān madhurāṃs tathā | yātrāmātraṃ ca bhuñjīta kevalaṃ prāṇadhāraṇam ||
Vāyu-deva said: “Even while eating, one should not indulge in tasting sweet flavors. One should take food only in the measure required for one’s journey through life—eating solely for the bare maintenance of breath and life.”
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.