Shloka 4
Exposition of the Duties of Ascetics
Saṃnyāsa-Dharma
प्राजापत्यां निरूप्येष्टिमाग्नेयीमथवा पुनः । दांतः शुक्लकषायोसौ ब्रह्माश्रममुपाश्रयेत्
prājāpatyāṃ nirūpyeṣṭimāgneyīmathavā punaḥ | dāṃtaḥ śuklakaṣāyosau brahmāśramamupāśrayet
ప్రాజాపత్య యజ్ఞాన్ని—లేదా మరల ఆగ్నేయ విధిని—విధిపూర్వకంగా నిర్వహించి, ఇంద్రియనిగ్రహంతో, శ్వేత-కాశాయ (గెరువు ఛాయ) వస్త్రాలు ధరించి, అతడు బ్రహ్మాశ్రమం (బ్రహ్మచర్యాశ్రమం) ఆశ్రయించాలి.
Unspecified (narratorial/teaching voice within Svarga-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: Life-stage transitions should be sanctified through prescribed rites and self-control; external marks (garments) reflect inner discipline.
Application: When changing roles (student, householder, retiree), close prior duties responsibly; adopt simple habits and visible reminders (dress, routine) that reinforce vows and restraint.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ritual ground is shown just after completion: the altar is neat, offerings concluded, and the practitioner stands calm, holding a staff and water pot. He wears pale garments with an ochre tinge, stepping from the sacrificial enclosure toward a disciplined vowed life, as if crossing a sacred threshold.","primary_figures":["vowed practitioner (dvija)","Agni (symbolic presence)","officiating priest (optional)"],"setting":"Yajña-vedi with bricks, ladles, kusa grass, and a cleared space; boundary line marking transition to āśrama life.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["ghee-gold","brick red","ivory white","ochre","dark teal"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: post-yajña scene with a gleaming altar, Agni rendered as stylized flame, practitioner in white-ochre garments with gold-leaf highlights, ornate ritual vessels, rich red-green background, embossed gold emphasizing sacred boundary and disciplined posture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate depiction of a small fire-altar in a courtyard, soft earth tones, the practitioner stepping away with staff and kamandalu, refined calm expression, gentle evening lamplight and minimalistic ritual detail.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold-lined altar and flame motif, practitioner in pale garments with ochre accents, strong red/yellow/green palette, symmetrical composition like a temple panel illustrating āśrama transition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ritual enclosure framed by floral borders, stylized flames and lotus motifs, deep blue-green ground with gold accents, the practitioner centrally placed with staff and water pot, ornamental patterns suggesting sanctified order."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["crackling fire","mantra cadence","small bell","evening insects"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: निरूप्येष्टिम् = निरूप्य + इष्टिम्; इष्टिमाग्नेयीम् = इष्टिम् + आग्नेयीम्; आग्नेयीमथवा = आग्नेयीम् + अथवा; कषायोसौ = कषायः + असौ (ः + अ → ओ).
FAQs
Here “Brahma-āśrama” points to the brahmacarya stage—living with restraint, study, and discipline as a Vedic student (or in a student-like ascetic regimen).
They function as exemplars of sanctioned Vedic rites (iṣṭis) that prepare a person ritually and ethically—through ordered worship and self-restraint—for entry into the brahmacarya/āśrama discipline.
Ritual action is paired with inner discipline: the verse stresses self-control (dānta) and a regulated way of life as essential to religious practice and spiritual progression.