Shloka 4
Ṛśyaśṛṅga’s Luring, Rainfall at Aṅga, and Reconciliation with Vibhāṇḍaka (ऋश्यशृङ्गोपाख्यानम्)
असज्जनेनाचरितानि पुत्र पापान्यपेयानि मधूनि तानि । माल्यानि चैतानि न वै मुनीनां स्मृतानि चित्रोज्ज्वलगन्धवन्ति,वत्स! जिसे तुम जल समझते थे, वह मद्य था। वह पापजनक और अपेय है, उसे कभी नहीं पीना चाहिये। दुष्ट पुरुष उसका उपयोग करते हैं तथा ये विचित्र, उज्ज्वल और सुगन्धित पुष्पमालाएँ भी मुनियोंके योग्य नहीं बतायी गयी हैं
asajjanenācaritāni putra pāpānyapeyāni madhūni tāni | mālyāni caitāni na vai munīnāṃ smṛtāni citrojjvalagandhavanti ||
Vibhāṇḍaka said: “My son, those ‘sweet drinks’ are things practiced by the wicked—sinful and unfit to be drunk. They should never be taken. And these garlands too—bright, showy, and fragrant—are not regarded as proper for sages.”
विभाण्डक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches ascetic restraint: intoxicating drinks and worldly adornments, though attractive, are associated with immoral company and are considered improper for sages; one should avoid them to protect purity of conduct.
Vibhāṇḍaka instructs his son, correcting a mistaken impression about a ‘sweet drink’ (actually liquor) and warning him that such indulgences—along with flashy fragrant garlands—belong to worldly, unrighteous habits rather than the discipline of munis.