Shloka 23
Dharma of the Conduct of the Vānaprastha Āśrama
Forest-Dweller Discipline
नक्तं चान्नं समश्नीयाद्दिवा चाहृत्य शक्तितः । चतुर्थकालको वा स्यात्किं वाप्यष्टमकालिकः
naktaṃ cānnaṃ samaśnīyāddivā cāhṛtya śaktitaḥ | caturthakālako vā syātkiṃ vāpyaṣṭamakālikaḥ
అతడు రాత్రి అన్నం భుజించాలి, దినంలో తన శక్తి మేరకు దానిని సమకూర్చుకోవాలి. లేదా చతుర్థకాల భోజనకర్తగా ఉండవచ్చు, లేక అష్టమకాల భోజనకర్తగానూ ఉండవచ్చు।
Unspecified (context-dependent within Svarga-khaṇḍa 58)
Concept: Regulated eating (niyata-āhāra) trains the senses and stabilizes the mind for dharma and devotion.
Application: Adopt a consistent meal window (e.g., night-only or one-meal discipline) with humility and capacity-awareness; use the saved time/energy for japa, pūjā, and seva.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A quiet forest āśrama at dusk: a disciplined ascetic returns with a small bundle of gathered grains and vegetables procured by day, then eats a simple meal only at night. Nearby, a low lamp flickers before a small Viṣṇu altar, suggesting that restraint is offered as worship rather than hardship.","primary_figures":["Vaikhānasa-style ascetic","Vishnu (small altar icon or śālagrāma presence)"],"setting":"Forest hermitage with thatched hut, tulasī planter near the doorway, simple wooden bowl and water pot, deer and birds at the edge of the clearing.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["smoky umber","lamp-gold","leaf green","twilight indigo","clay red"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a serene hermitage scene with a seated ascetic taking a modest night meal before a small Viṣṇu shrine, gold leaf halo around the shrine icon, rich maroon and emerald textiles, ornate brass lamp, gem-studded altar details, stylized foliage framing the composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate dusk forest with cool indigo shadows, an ascetic carrying a small bundle gathered by day, then seated with a simple bowl at night; lyrical trees, fine linework, soft gradients, refined facial features, a tiny Viṣṇu altar glowing warmly.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and earthy pigments, ascetic in disciplined posture near a lamp-lit Viṣṇu shrine, stylized forest motifs, prominent expressive eyes, red-yellow-green palette with rhythmic decorative borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional courtyard-forest hybrid with lotus borders and peacock motifs; a small Viṣṇu/Śālagrāma shrine at center, ascetic offering his restrained meal as naivedya-like simplicity, deep blue background with gold floral filigree."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["soft temple bell","evening crickets","gentle wind in leaves","low conch in distance","lamp crackle"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चान्नम् = च + अन्नम्; समश्नीयाद्दिवा = समश्नीयात् + दिवा; चाहृत्य = च + आहृत्य; स्यात्किं = स्यात् + किम्; वाप्यष्टमकालिकः = वा + अपि + अष्टमकालिकः
FAQs
It describes regulated eating as a form of discipline: obtaining food during the day and eating at night (nakta), with optional stricter schedules such as eating only at a prescribed ‘fourth’ or ‘eighth’ time period.
The verse emphasizes self-restraint and living within one’s means—procuring food according to one’s capacity and following a disciplined routine rather than indulgence.
It allows gradations: a practitioner may follow the night-eating discipline, or adopt stricter timing rules, suggesting a scalable approach suited to different capacities and levels of austerity.