Adhyaya 28 — Alarka Inquires into Varna and Ashrama Dharma; Madalasa Defines the Fourfold Duties
अनारम्भस्तथाहारो भैक्षान्नेनैककालिना । आत्मज्ञानावबोधेच्छा तथा चात्मावलोकनम् ॥
anārambhas tathāhāro bhaikṣānnenaikakālinā | ātmajñānāvabodhecchā tathā cātmāvalokanam ||
अनारम्भः कर्मणां भैक्ष्यं चैकाह्निकं तथा। आत्मज्ञानप्रबोधेच्छा आत्मचिन्तनमेव च—एतदपि तस्य धर्मस्याङ्गम्॥
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "jnana", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
Renunciation is operationalized: minimal livelihood (alms, once daily) and minimal worldly initiative (anārambha) create the conditions for sustained self-inquiry and realization.
Dharma instruction; ancillary to the five canonical Purāṇic topics.
‘Anārambha’ points to cessation of karmic proliferation; ‘ātma-avalokana’ is the inward turn where the ‘wanderer’ moves through layers of mind rather than geography.