Shloka 23
महाभूत–इन्द्रिय–मनस्–बुद्धि–अन्तरात्मा विवेकः | Discrimination of Elements, Senses, Mind, Intellect, and Inner Self
चतुर्थे चायुष: शेषे वानप्रस्थाश्रमं त्यजेत् । सद्यस्कारां निरूप्येष्टिं सर्ववेदसदक्षिणाम्
caturthe cāyuṣaḥ śeṣe vānaprasthāśramaṃ tyajet | sadyaskārāṃ nirūpyeṣṭiṃ sarvavedasadakṣiṇām ||
Wika ni Vyāsa: Kapag ang ikaapat at huling bahagi ng haba ng buhay ang nalalabi, dapat talikdan ang yugto ng paninirahan sa gubat (vānaprastha). Matapos isaayos ang mga agarang ritwal at itatag ang handog na sakripisyo na may kalakip na mga kaloob (dakṣiṇā) ayon sa itinatakda ng lahat ng Veda, dapat magpatuloy ang tao—hudyat ng paglipat ng asal-dharma mula sa mga tungkuling pangkabahayan at ritwal tungo sa ganap na pagtalikod.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches āśrama-dharma: as life enters its final quarter, one should let go of the forest-dweller stage and, after duly completing necessary rites and Veda-sanctioned sacrificial obligations with proper gifts, move toward full renunciation and spiritual single-mindedness.
Vyāsa is laying down a normative guideline for the progression of life-stages. He describes the transition point late in life: completing remaining ritual responsibilities (including an iṣṭi with appropriate dakṣiṇā) and then abandoning vānaprastha, implying the next step toward a renunciate ideal.