Shloka 47
Brahmā’s Instruction on Brahmacarya, Vānaprastha, and the Aliṅga Path
Ethics of Non-attachment
अपादपाणिपृष्ठं तदशिरस्कमनूदरम् । प्रहीणगुणकर्माणं केवलं विमलं स्थिरम्
apādapāṇipṛṣṭhaṃ tadaśiraskam anūdaram | prahīṇaguṇakarmāṇaṃ kevalaṃ vimalaṃ sthiram ||
风神伐由说道：“彼自我被了知为无足、无手、无背、无首、无腹——离诸古那之作用与业之作业；独一、清净、不动不摇。若有人如是知自我：不著不缚，超越诸感官之相，不囿于败坏之身，则其人实不死；因为此智安立于不坏、神圣之真实，而此真实平等住于一切众生之中。”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the true Self (Ātman) is not a physical entity with limbs or organs, nor is it bound by the guṇas and karma. Realizing this pure, steady, unattached Self is presented as the basis for freedom from death—i.e., liberation from identification with the perishable body and its actions.
Vāyudeva is speaking in a didactic context, describing the nature of the Ātman in apophatic terms (by negation of bodily features and worldly determinants). The statement functions as spiritual instruction within the Ashvamedhika Parva’s broader post-war reflection on dharma, renunciation, and liberation.