Shloka 12
Brahmā’s Instruction on Brahmacarya, Vānaprastha, and the Aliṅga Path
Ethics of Non-attachment
प्रवृत्तमुदकं वायुं सर्व वानेयमाश्रयेत् । प्राश्नीयादानुपूर्व्येण यथादीक्षमतन्द्रित:
pravṛttam udakaṃ vāyuṃ sarvaṃ vāneyam āśrayet | prāśnīyād ānupūrvyena yathādīkṣam atandritaḥ ||
ಹರಿಯುವ ನೀರು, ಗಾಳಿ ಮುಂತಾದ ಅರಣ್ಯದ ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ಆಶ್ರಯಿಸಲಿ. ತನ್ನ ದೀಕ್ಷಾವಿಧಿಯಂತೆ ಆಲಸ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಎಚ್ಚರಿಕೆಯಿಂದ ಕ್ರಮವಾಗಿ ಅವನ್ನು ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಲಿ.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches disciplined restraint: one undertaking a vow should live on minimal, pure, forest-available sustenance (even as subtle as air and flowing water), and follow the prescribed order of observance without negligence.
Vāyu-deva is instructing a practitioner about proper conduct during a vowed observance (dīkṣā), specifying what kinds of sustenance are permissible and emphasizing careful, sequential adherence to the rules of the vow.