चर्मकाशकुशैः कुर्यात् परिधानोत्तरीयके तद्वत् त्रिषवणं स्नानं शस्तम् अस्य द्विजोत्तमाः
He should use garments made of skin, bark, or kusa grass as upper and lower coverings, and, O best of twice-born, thrice-daily bathing is proper for him.
देवताभ्यर्चनं होमः सर्वाभ्यागतपूजनम् भिक्षा बलिप्रदानं तु शस्तम् अस्य प्रशस्यते
Worship of the deities, fire offerings, honoring all who come, alms, and the giving of offerings are praised as proper for him.
वन्यस्नेहेन गात्राणाम् अभ्यङ्गश् चापि शस्यते तपस्या तस्य विप्रेन्द्राः शीतोष्णादिसहिष्णुता
O best of Brahmins, anointing the body with forest oils is also proper for him, as is enduring heat and cold in his austerity.
यस् त्व् एता नियतश् चर्या वानप्रस्थश् चरेन् मुनिः स दहत्य् अग्निवद् दोषाञ् जयेल् लोकांश् च शाश्वतान्
A forest-dwelling sage who practices these disciplines with steadiness burns away faults like fire and conquers the eternal worlds.
चतुर्थश् चाश्रमो भिक्षोः प्रोच्यते यो मनीषिभिः तस्य स्वरूपं गदतो बुध्यध्वं मम सत्तमाः
The fourth stage, that of the renunciant, is declared by the wise; listen, O best of the good, as I describe its true nature.
पुत्रद्रव्यकलत्रेषु त्यजेत् स्नेहं द्विजोत्तमाः चतुर्थम् आश्रमस्थानं गच्छेन् निर्धूतमत्सरः
O best of twice-born, one should abandon attachment to sons, wealth, and wife, and, free from envy, enter the fourth stage of life.
त्रैवर्णिकांस् त्यजेत् सर्वान् आरम्भान् द्विजसत्तमाः मित्रादिषु समो मैत्रः समस्तेष्व् एव जन्तुषु
O best of twice-born, he should renounce all undertakings of the three castes, be equal to friend and foe, and maintain friendliness toward all beings.
जरायुजाण्डजादीनां वाङ्मनःकर्मभिः क्वचित् युक्तः कुर्वीत न द्रोहं सर्वसङ्गांश् च वर्जयेत्
He should never harm by word, thought, or deed any creatures born from womb, egg, or otherwise, and should avoid all attachments.
एकरात्रस्थितिर् ग्रामे पञ्चरात्रस्थितिः पुरे तथा प्रीतिर् न तिर्यक्षु द्वेषो वा नास्य जायते
He should stay one night in a village, five nights in a city, and should neither develop affection nor hatred toward animals.
प्राणयात्रानिमित्तं च व्यङ्गारे ऽभुक्तवज्जने काले प्रशस्तवर्णानां भिक्षार्थी पर्यटेद् गृहान्
For the sake of sustaining life, at the proper time, he should go to the houses of those of good conduct to seek alms, as if he had not eaten.
अलाभे न विषादी स्याल् लाभे नैव च हर्षयेत् प्राणयात्रिकमात्रः स्यान् मात्रासङ्गाद् विनिर्गतः
If he does not obtain alms, he should not be dejected; if he does, he should not rejoice. He should be content with what sustains life, free from attachment to measure.
अतिपूजितलाभांस् तु जुगुप्सं चैव सर्वतः अतिपूजितलाभैस् तु यतिर् मुक्तो ऽपि बध्यते
But if he receives excessive honor or gains, he should avoid them in every way; for even a renunciant is bound by excessive honored gains.
कामः क्रोधस् तथा दर्पो लोभमोहादयश् च ये तांस् तु दोषान् परित्यज्य परिव्राण् निर्ममो भवेत्
Having abandoned faults such as desire, anger, pride, greed, delusion, and the like, the renunciant becomes free from possessiveness.
अभयं सर्वसत्त्वेभ्यो दत्त्वा यश् चरते महीम् तस्य देहाद् विमुक्तस्य भयं नोत्पद्यते क्वचित्
Having given fearlessness to all beings, whoever moves upon the earth—when that one is freed from the body, fear does not arise for him anywhere.
कृत्वाग्निहोत्रं स्वशरीरसंस्थं शारीरम् अग्निं स्वमुखे जुहोति विप्रस् तु भिक्षोपगतैर् हविर्भिश् चिताग्निना स व्रजति स्म लोकान्
Having performed the fire-offering with his own body as the altar, the brahmin offers into the bodily fire with food obtained by alms; with the fire of the funeral pyre, he indeed attains the worlds.
मोक्षाश्रमं यश् चरते यथोक्तं शुचिश् च संकल्पितबुद्धियुक्तः अनिन्धनं ज्योतिर् इव प्रशान्तं स ब्रह्मलोकं व्रजति द्विजातिः
Whoever lives in the stage of liberation as prescribed, pure and endowed with a resolved mind, that twice-born one attains the world of Brahma, calm like a light without fuel.
सर्वज्ञस् त्वं महाभाग सर्वभूतहिते रतः भूतं भव्यं भविष्यं च न ते ऽस्त्य् अविदितं मुने
You are all-knowing, O greatly fortunate one, devoted to the welfare of all beings; past, present, and future—nothing is unknown to you, O sage.
कर्मणा केन वर्णानाम् अधमा जायते गतिः उत्तमा च भवेत् केन ब्रूहि तेषां महामते
By what action does a member of the classes attain a lower state, and by what does one attain the highest? Tell me this, O wise one.
शूद्रस् तु कर्मणा केन ब्राह्मणत्वं च गच्छति श्रोतुम् इच्छामहे केन ब्राह्मणः शूद्रताम् इयात्
By what action does a Śūdra attain the state of a Brahmin? We wish to hear by what action a Brahmin becomes a Śūdra.
हिमवच्छिखरे रम्ये नानाधातुविभूषिते नानाद्रुमलताकीर्णे नानाश्चर्यसमन्विते
On the beautiful peak of the Himalaya, adorned with various minerals, covered with many trees and vines, and filled with many wonders,
तत्र स्थितं महादेवं त्रिपुरघ्नं त्रिलोचनम् शैलराजसुता देवी प्रणिपत्य सुरेश्वरम्
There stood the great god, destroyer of Tripura, the three-eyed one; the daughter of the mountain king, the goddess, bowed to the lord of the gods.
इमं प्रश्नं पुरा विप्रा अपृच्छच् चारुलोचना तद् अहं संप्रवक्ष्यामि शृणुध्वं मम सत्तमाः
Long ago, O brahmins, the beautiful-eyed goddess asked this question; I will now explain it—listen to me, O best of beings.
भगवन् भगनेत्रघ्न पूष्णो दन्तविनाशन दक्षक्रतुहर त्र्यक्ष संशयो मे महान् अयम्
O Lord, destroyer of Bhaga's eye, breaker of Pūṣan's teeth, destroyer of Dakṣa's sacrifice, three-eyed one, I have this great doubt.
चातुर्वर्ण्यं भगवता पूर्वं सृष्टं स्वयंभुवा केन कर्मविपाकेन वैश्यो गच्छति शूद्रताम्
The fourfold class system was formerly created by the self-born Lord; by what result of action does a Vaiśya become a Śūdra?
वैश्यो वा क्षत्रियः केन द्विजो वा क्षत्रियो भवेत् प्रतिलोमे कथं देव शक्यो धर्मो निवर्तितुम्
Or by what does a Vaiśya or Kṣatriya become a twice-born Kṣatriya? In the case of reversed order, O god, how can dharma be reversed?
केन वा कर्मणा विप्रः शूद्रयोनौ प्रजायते क्षत्रियः शूद्रताम् एति केन वा कर्मणा विभो
By what action, O Lord, does a brahmin take birth in a Śūdra womb? By what action does a Kṣatriya become a Śūdra, O mighty one?
एतं मे संशयं देव वद भूतपते ऽनघ त्रयो वर्णाः प्रकृत्येह कथं ब्राह्मण्यम् आप्नुयुः
Tell me this doubt of mine, O sinless Lord of beings: how do the three classes here attain brahminhood by nature?
ब्राह्मण्यं देवि दुष्प्रापं निसर्गाद् ब्राह्मणः शुभे क्षत्रियो वैश्यशूद्रौ वा निसर्गाद् इति मे मतिः
O auspicious one, brahminhood is difficult to attain; by nature one is a brahmin, kṣatriya, vaiśya, or śūdra—this is my view.
कर्मणा दुष्कृतेनेह स्थानाद् भ्रश्यति स द्विजः श्रेष्ठं वर्णम् अनुप्राप्य तस्माद् आक्षिप्यते पुनः
By evil action here, a twice-born falls from his position; having attained the highest class, he is cast down again.
स्थितो ब्राह्मणधर्मेण ब्राह्मण्यम् उपजीवति क्षत्रियो वाथ वैश्यो वा ब्रह्मभूयं स गच्छति
Established in the conduct of a brahmin, one lives as a brahmin; whether kṣatriya or vaiśya, he attains brahminhood.