Brahmā’s Instruction on Brahmacarya, Vānaprastha, and the Aliṅga Path
Ethics of Non-attachment
अहिंसा ब्रह्मचर्य च सत्यमार्जवमेव च,अहिंसा, ब्रह्मचर्य, सत्य, सरलता, क्रोधका अभाव, दोष-दृष्टिका त्याग, इन्द्रियसंयम और चुगली न खाना--इन आठ व्रतोंका सदा सावधानीके साथ पालन करे। इन्द्रियोंको वशमें रखे
ahiṃsā brahmacaryaṃ ca satyam ārjavam eva ca | akrodho doṣadṛṣṭeś ca tyāga indriyasaṃyamaḥ | paiśunyaṃ ca na bhāṣeta—etāny aṣṭau vratāni vai | sadā yatnena saṃrakṣyed indriyāṇi vaśe nayet ||
Vāyu said: “Non-violence, celibate self-restraint, truthfulness, and straightforwardness—along with freedom from anger, abandoning the habit of fault-finding, control of the senses, and refraining from tale-bearing—these are the eight vows. One should always guard them with vigilant effort and keep the senses under mastery.”
वायुदेव उवाच
The verse teaches an eightfold ethical discipline: non-violence, celibate restraint, truth, straightforwardness, freedom from anger, giving up fault-finding, control of the senses, and avoiding slander/gossip—urging constant vigilance in guarding these vows.
Vāyudeva is speaking as a moral instructor, enumerating foundational vows (vratas) that support dharma and inner mastery, emphasizing that sense-control and purity of speech are essential to sustained righteous conduct.