Shloka 5
Brahmā’s Instruction on Brahmacarya, Vānaprastha, and the Aliṅga Path
Ethics of Non-attachment
क्षौीमं कार्पासिकं चापि मृगाजिनमथापि वा । सर्व काषायरक्तं वा वासो वापि द्विजस्य ह,रेशमी अथवा सूती वस्त्र या मृगचर्म धारण करे। अथवा ब्राह्मणके लिये सारा वस्त्र गेरुए रंगका होना चाहिये
kṣaumam kārpāsikaṃ cāpi mṛgājinam athāpi vā | sarvaṃ kāṣāya-raktaṃ vā vāso vāpi dvijasya ha ||
Vāyu-deva said: “For a twice-born (especially a brāhmaṇa), the garment may be of linen, or of cotton, or even a deer-skin; or else his clothing may be entirely dyed in ochre-red. Thus, the text lays down acceptable forms of dress for the ascetic or disciplined life—favoring simplicity, restraint, and visible commitment to purity and dharma rather than luxury.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches restraint and propriety in dress for the dvija—endorsing simple materials (linen, cotton, deer-skin) or ochre-dyed clothing, thereby discouraging luxury and emphasizing visible commitment to disciplined, dharmic living.
Vāyu-deva is giving prescriptive guidance about acceptable garments, framing external appearance (types and color of clothing) as part of ethical and ascetic conduct within the broader dharma-instruction context of the Ashvamedhika Parva.