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 ||
Disse Ṛśyaśṛṅga: “Sempre que ele se movia, ainda que um pouco, aqueles ornamentos tilintavam docemente—como cisnes embriagados clamando sobre um lago. Até suas vestes pareciam maravilhosas de ver. Mas estes andrajos meus de tecido de casca não têm forma tão bela.”
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.