Adhyāya 112: Ṛṣyaśṛṅga’s Description of an Exemplary Brahmacārī
Ascetic Presence and Vow-Practice
विचेष्टमानस्य च तस्य तानि कूजन्ति हंसा: सरसीव मत्ता: । चीराणि तस्याद्भधुतदर्शनानि नेमानि तद्धन्मम रूपवन्ति,वह ब्रह्मचारी जब तनिक भी चलता-फिरता या हिलता-डुलता था, उस समय उसके आभूषण बड़ी मनोहर झनकार उत्पन्न करते थे, मानो सरोवरमें मतवाले हंस कलरव कर रहे हों। उसके चीर भी अद्भुत दिखायी देते थे। मेरी कौपीनके ये वल्कलवस्त्र वैसे सुन्दर नहीं हैं
viceṣṭamānasya ca tasya tāni kūjanti haṃsāḥ sarasīva mattāḥ | cīrāṇi tasyādbhuta-darśanāni nemāni taddhanmama rūpavanti ||
Ṛśyaśṛṅga said: “Whenever he so much as moved, those ornaments of his would chime sweetly—like intoxicated swans calling out upon a lake. Even his garments appeared wondrous to behold. But these bark-cloth rags of mine are not so fair in form.”
ऋष्यशुड्र उवाच
The verse contrasts worldly splendor (ornaments and fine garments) with the speaker’s austere attire, highlighting humility and the ascetic perspective that external beauty is not the measure of true worth or dharma.
Ṛśyaśṛṅga describes a person whose ornaments sounded melodiously whenever he moved, comparing the sound to swans calling on a lake, and notes that the person’s garments looked marvelous—unlike the speaker’s own simple bark-cloth.