Shloka 25
Brahmā’s Instruction on Brahmacarya, Vānaprastha, and the Aliṅga Path
Ethics of Non-attachment
न संनिकाशयेद् धर्म विविक्ते चारजाश्षरेत् | शून्यागारमरण्यं वा वृक्षमूलं नदीं तथा,उसे अपने धर्मका प्रदर्शन नहीं करना चाहिये। रजोगुणसे रहित होकर निर्जन स्थानमें विचरते रहना चाहिये। रातको सोनेके लिये सूने घर, जंगल, वृक्षकी जड़, नदीके किनारे अथवा पर्वतकी गुफाका आश्रय लेना चाहिये। ग्रीष्मकालमें गाँवमें एक रातसे अधिक नहीं रहना चाहिये, किंतु वर्षाकालमें किसी एक ही स्थानपर रहना उचित है
na saṃnikāśayed dharmaṃ vivikte cārajaḥ śaret | śūnyāgāram araṇyaṃ vā vṛkṣamūlaṃ nadīṃ tathā |
Vāyu said: “One should not make a display of one’s dharma. Free from the agitation of rajas, one should move about in secluded places. For resting at night, one may take shelter in an empty house, a forest, the root of a tree, or the bank of a river.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Righteousness should be practiced quietly, without seeking recognition. The aspirant should reduce rajas (restless passion) and cultivate a simple, secluded way of life, choosing modest shelters such as deserted dwellings, forests, tree-roots, or riverbanks.
Vāyudeva is instructing the listener on the discipline of a restrained, renunciant mode of living—emphasizing inner sincerity over outward display and recommending solitary wandering and simple night-shelters.