Shloka 37
Brahmā’s Instruction on Brahmacarya, Vānaprastha, and the Aliṅga Path
Ethics of Non-attachment
न शिल्पजीविकां जीवेद्धिरण्यं नोत कामयेत् । न द्वेष्ठा नोपदेष्टा च भवेच्च निरुपस्कृत:,वह शिल्पकारी करके जीविका न चलावे, सुवर्णकी इच्छा न करे। किसीसे द्वेष न करे और उपदेशक न बने तथा संग्रहरहित रहे
na śilpajīvikāṃ jīved dhiraṇyaṃ nota kāmayet | na dveṣṭā nopadeṣṭā ca bhavec ca nirupaskṛtaḥ ||
Vāyu said: “One should not make a living by craft or trade, nor should one desire gold. Let him bear no hatred toward anyone, and let him not set himself up as a preacher or instructor. He should live without possessions or hoarding—unadorned, unencumbered—so that his conduct remains free from greed, rivalry, and dependence.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a disciplined, renunciant ethic: avoid wealth-seeking (especially gold), avoid livelihood that entangles one in acquisition, abandon hatred, do not posture as a moral instructor, and live simply without possessions—so one’s dharma is protected from greed, hostility, and ego.
Vāyudeva is delivering a didactic instruction on proper conduct, emphasizing inner restraint and outward simplicity. The focus is on shaping character—non-greed, non-hatred, and non-ostentation—rather than on ritual or power.