Shloka 12
Brahmā’s Instruction on Brahmacarya, Vānaprastha, and the Aliṅga Path
Ethics of Non-attachment
प्रवृत्तमुदकं वायुं सर्व वानेयमाश्रयेत् । प्राश्नीयादानुपूर्व्येण यथादीक्षमतन्द्रित:
pravṛttam udakaṃ vāyuṃ sarvaṃ vāneyam āśrayet | prāśnīyād ānupūrvyena yathādīkṣam atandritaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vāyu-deva: “Umasa lamang siya sa ibinibigay ng gubat—sa dumadaloy na tubig, sa hangin, at sa iba pang ligaw na biyaya. Laging mapagmatyag at tapat sa disiplina ng kanyang panata, tanggapin niya ang mga ito sa wastong pagkakasunod, ayon sa itinakda ng kanyang dīkṣā.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches disciplined restraint: one undertaking a vow should live on minimal, pure, forest-available sustenance (even as subtle as air and flowing water), and follow the prescribed order of observance without negligence.
Vāyu-deva is instructing a practitioner about proper conduct during a vowed observance (dīkṣā), specifying what kinds of sustenance are permissible and emphasizing careful, sequential adherence to the rules of the vow.