Shloka 8
Rules of Purity (Shauca) — Rules of Purity (Śauca), Permissible Foods, and the Duties of the Householder and Forest-Dweller
गार्हस्थ्याश्रमकामस्तु गार्हस्थ्याश्रममावसेत् वानप्रस्थाश्रमं वापि चतुर्थं स्वेच्छयात्मनः
gārhasthyāśramakāmastu gārhasthyāśramamāvaset vānaprasthāśramaṃ vāpi caturthaṃ svecchayātmanaḥ
ഗാർഹസ്ഥാശ്രമം ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ ഗാർഹസ്ഥാശ്രമത്തിൽ പ്രവേശിക്കണം; അല്ലെങ്കിൽ വാനപ്രസ്ഥാശ്രമത്തിലേക്കോ, തനിക്കിഷ്ടമുള്ളപോലെ നാലാമത്തേതായ (സന്ന്യാസ) ആശ്രമത്തിലേക്കോ പ്രവേശിക്കാം.
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Dharma is presented as a structured path with legitimate diversity: different temperaments may choose household life, forest retirement, or renunciation. The ethical core is alignment of one’s life-stage with inner readiness and disciplined duty.
As with the prior verse, it is ancillary dharma instruction (ācāra/āśrama-niyama), not directly one of the five lakṣaṇas, though purāṇas often include such guidance alongside genealogies and narratives.
The ‘fourth’ signifies ultimate detachment; placing it as a permissible choice underscores that liberation-oriented life is not merely an end-stage of aging but a vocation dependent on qualification (adhikāra).