Shloka 12
अव्यक्त-गुण-पुरुषविवेकः | Avyakta, Guṇas, and Discrimination of Puruṣa
विविधासु च शय्यासु फलगृद्धयान्वितस्तथा । मुज्जमेखलनग्नत्वं क्षौीमकृष्णाजिनानि च
vividāsu ca śayyāsu phalagṛddhyānvitas tathā | muñja-mekhala-nagnatvaṃ kṣaumāni kṛṣṇājināni ca ||
婆悉吒说道：“凡其心为求‘果’（报偿）之贪欲所缚者，行止恒多反复。他卧于种种床榻；为利欲所驱，时而束以茅草（muñja）之腰带、着兜裆（kaupīna），时而又裸形而行；忽披麻布，忽着黑羚羊皮。”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Craving for ‘phala’ (results/rewards) makes a person restless and inconsistent, even to the point of adopting contradictory outward lifestyles (ascetic emblems, nakedness, fine clothing). The ethical point is that true steadiness in dharma depends on inner detachment, not on shifting external appearances.
Vasiṣṭha is describing the behavior-pattern of a reward-seeking person: he alternates among many sleeping arrangements and outward modes of dress associated with both austerity and comfort. The description functions as a critique of attachment-driven living and a lead-in to valuing inner discipline over performative renunciation.