Shloka 32
जनक-राज्ञः मौण्ड्य-परिव्रज्या-विवादः
Janaka’s Renunciation Questioned; Discourse on Dāna and Detachment
परिव्रजन्ति दानार्थ मुण्डा: काषायवासस: । सिता बहुविधै: पाशै: संचिन्वन्तो वृथामिषम्,“बहुत-से मनुष्य दान लेने (पेट पालने)-के लिये मूड़ मुड़ाकर गेरुए वस्त्र पहन लेते हैं और घरसे निकल जाते हैं। वे नाना प्रकारके बन्धनोंमें बँधे होनेके कारण व्यर्थ भोगोंकी ही खोज करते रहते हैं-
parivrajanti dānārtha muṇḍāḥ kāṣāyavāsasaḥ | sitā bahuvidhaiḥ pāśaiḥ sañcinvanto vṛthāmiṣam ||
Demi sedekah—sekadar untuk mengisi perut—ramai lelaki mencukur kepala, menyarung jubah ochre, lalu mengembara. Namun, terjerat oleh pelbagai jerat yang banyak, mereka tetap mengejar kenikmatan yang sia-sia, menyangkanya sebagai kehidupan pelepasan.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
External marks of renunciation—shaved head and ochre robes—do not by themselves constitute true vairāgya. If one remains bound by inner attachments and continues to chase sense-pleasures, the life of a mendicant becomes a mere livelihood and a form of ethical self-deception.
Arjuna comments on people who adopt the appearance of ascetics to obtain alms. Though they outwardly ‘go forth,’ they are still ensnared by many bonds and keep seeking worldly enjoyments, showing the contrast between genuine renunciation and performative asceticism.