Dietary Rules & Purification — Dietary Rules, Purification (Śauca), and the Duties of the Householder and Forest-Dweller
तत्रारण्योपभोगैश्च तपोभिश्चात्मकर्षणम् भूमौ शय्या ब्रह्मचर्यं पितृदेवातिथिक्रिया
tatrāraṇyopabhogaiśca tapobhiścātmakarṣaṇam bhūmau śayyā brahmacaryaṃ pitṛdevātithikriyā
Doon sa gubat, sa pamumuhay sa mga bunga at kaloob ng gubat at sa pamamagitan ng mga pag-aayuno at pagninilay (tapas), dapat isagawa ang pagpipigil sa sarili. Dapat matulog sa lupa, panatilihin ang brahmacarya (pagiging malinis at pagpipigil), at gampanan ang nararapat na mga ritwal para sa mga ninuno, sa mga diyos, at sa mga panauhin.
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The verse frames vānaprastha as a disciplined transition from household life: simplicity (sleeping on the ground), chastity, and continued social-sacral responsibility (honoring gods, ancestors, and guests) alongside tapas. Renunciation here is not neglect of duty but purification through restrained living.
It aligns best with Dharma/Ācāra material often embedded within Purāṇas; within pañcalakṣaṇa labels it is closest to 'Vamśānucarita' adjunct teachings or general 'dharma-kathā' rather than sarga/pratisarga/manvantara proper. (Purāṇas frequently include such normative sections beyond the strict five marks.)
Forest life symbolizes interiorization: 'ātmakarṣaṇa' indicates drawing the senses and ego inward. Service to pitṛ, deva, and atithi indicates that spiritual progress is integrated with gratitude (ancestral continuity), reverence (cosmic order), and hospitality (ethical universality).