Svarga-khaṇḍa · Chapter 58
Sourceव्यास उवाच- एवं गृहाश्रमे स्थित्वा द्वितीयं भागमायुषः । वानप्रस्थाश्रमं गच्छेत्सदारः साग्निरेव च १। निक्षिप्य भार्यां पुत्रेषु गच्छेद्वनमथापि वा । दृष्ट्वापत्यस्य वापत्यं जर्जरीकृतविग्रहः २। शुक्लपक्षस्य पूर्वाह्णे प्रशस्ते चोत्तरायणे । गत्वारण्यं नियमवांस्तपः कुर्यात्समाहितः ३। फलमूलानि पूतानि नित्यमाहारमाहरेत् । यदाहारो भवेत्तेन पूजयेत्पितृदेवताः ४। पूजयेदतिथिं नित्यं स्नात्वा चाभ्यर्चयेत्सुरान् । गृहादादाय चाश्नीयादष्टौ ग्रासान्समाहितः ५। जटाश्च बिभृयान्नित्यं नखरोमाणि नोत्सृजेत् । स्वाध्यायं सर्वथा कुर्यान्नियच्छेद्वाचमन्यतः ६। अग्निहोत्रं च जुहुयात्पंचयज्ञान्समाचरेत् । उत्पन्नैर्विविधैर्मेध्यैः शाकमूलफलेन वा ७। चीरवासा भवेन्नित्यं स्नायात्त्रिषवणं शुचिः । सर्वभूतानुकंपश्च प्रतिग्रहविवर्जितः ८। दर्शेन पौर्णमासेन यजेत नियतं द्विजः । ऋत्विष्ट्याग्रयणे चैव चातुर्मास्यानि कारयेत् ९। उत्तरायणं च क्रमशो दक्षिणायनमेव च । वासंतशारदैर्मेद्ध्यैरुत्पन्नैः स्वयमाहृतैः १०। पुरोडाशांश्चरूंश्चैव विधिवन्निर्वपेत्पृथक् । देवताभ्यः पितृभ्यश्च दत्त्वा मेध्यतरं हविः ११। शेषं समुपभुंजीत लवणं च स्वयंकृतम् । वर्ज्जयेन्मद्यमांसानि भौमानि कवकानि च १२। भूस्तृणं शष्पकं चैव श्लेष्मातक फलानि च । न फालकृष्टमश्नीयादुत्सृष्टमपि केनचित् १३। न ग्रामजातान्यार्तोपि पुष्पाणि च फलानि च । श्रावणेनैव विधिना वह्निं परिचरेत्सदा १४। न द्रुह्येत्सर्वभूतानि निर्द्वंद्वो निर्भयो भवेत् । न नक्तं किंचिदश्नीयाद्रात्रौ ध्यानपरो भवेत् १५। जितेंद्रियो जितक्रोधस्तत्त्वज्ञानविचिंतकः । ब्रह्मचारी भवेन्नित्यं न पत्नीमपि संश्रयेत् १६। यस्तु पत्न्या वनं गत्वा मैथुनं कामतश्चरेत् । तद्व्रतं तस्य लुप्येत प्रायश्चित्तीयते द्विजः १७। तत्र यो जायते गर्भो न स स्पृश्यो द्विजातिभिः । न हि वेदेधिकारोस्य तद्वंशेप्येवमेव हि १८। भूमौ शयीत सततं सावित्रीजप्यतत्परः । शरण्यः सर्वभूतानां सद्विभागपरः सदा १९। परिवादं मृषावादं निद्रालस्ये च वर्जयेत् । एकाग्निरनिकेतः स्यात्प्रोक्षितां भूमिमाश्रयेत् २०। मृगैः सह चरेद्दांतस्तैः सहैव च संवसेत् । शिलायां शर्करायां वा शयीत सुसमाहितः २१। सद्यः प्रक्षालको वा स्यान्माससंचयिकोपि वा । षण्मासनिचयो वापि समानिचय एव वा २२। नक्तं चान्नं समश्नीयाद्दिवा चाहृत्य शक्तितः । चतुर्थकालको वा स्यात्किं वाप्यष्टमकालिकः २३। चांद्रायणविधानैर्वा शुक्लेकृष्णे च वर्जयेत् । पक्षेपक्षे समश्नीयाद्यवागूं क्वथितां सकृत् २४। पुष्पमूलफलैर्वापि केवलैर्वर्तयेत्सदा । स्वाभाविकैः स्वयंशीर्णैर्वैखानसमते स्थितः २५। भूमौ वा परिवर्तेत तिष्ठेद्वा प्रपदैर्दिनम् । स्थानासनाभ्यां विहरेन्न क्वचिद्धैर्य्यमुत्सृजेत् २६। ग्रीष्मे पंचतपाश्च स्याद्वर्षास्वभ्रावकाशिकः । आर्द्रवासाश्च हेमंते क्रमशो वर्द्धयेत्तपः २७। उपस्पृशेत्त्रिषवणं पितृदेवांश्च तर्पयेत् । एकपादेन तिष्ठेत मरीचिं वा पिबेत्सदा २८। पंचाग्निधूमगो वा स्यादूष्मगः सोमपोपि वा । पयः पिबेच्छुक्लपक्षे कृष्णपक्षे तु गोमयम् २९। शीर्णपर्णाशनो वा स्यात्कृच्छ्रैर्वा वर्तयेत्सदा । योगाभ्यासरतश्च स्याद्रुद्राध्यायी भवेत्सदा ३०। अथर्वशिरसोध्येता वेदांताभ्यासतत्परः । यमान्सेवेत सततं नियमांश्चाप्यतंद्रितः ३१। अथ चाग्नीन्समारोप्य स्वात्मनि ध्यानतत्परः ३२। अनग्निरनिकेतो वा मुनिर्मोक्षपरो भवेत् । तापसेष्वेव विप्रेषु यात्रिकं भैक्षमाहरेत् ३३। गृहमेधिषु चान्येषु द्विजेषु वनचारिषु । ग्रामादाहृत्य चाश्नीयादष्टौ ग्रासान्वने वसन् ३४। प्रतिगृह्य पुटेनैव पाणिना शकलेन वा । विविधाश्चोपनिषद आत्मसंसिद्धये जपेत् ३५। विद्याविशेषान्सावित्रीं रुद्राध्यायं तथैव च । महाप्रस्थानिकं वासौ कुर्य्यादनशनं तथा । अग्निप्रवेशमन्यद्वा ब्रह्मार्पणविधौ स्थितः ३६। इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे स्वर्गखंडे वानप्रस्थाश्रमाचारधर्मो नामाष्टपंचाशत्तमोऽध्यायः ५८।
vyāsa uvāca- evaṃ gṛhāśrame sthitvā dvitīyaṃ bhāgamāyuṣaḥ | vānaprasthāśramaṃ gacchetsadāraḥ sāgnireva ca 1| nikṣipya bhāryāṃ putreṣu gacchedvanamathāpi vā | dṛṣṭvāpatyasya vāpatyaṃ jarjarīkṛtavigrahaḥ 2| śuklapakṣasya pūrvāhṇe praśaste cottarāyaṇe | gatvāraṇyaṃ niyamavāṃstapaḥ kuryātsamāhitaḥ 3| phalamūlāni pūtāni nityamāhāramāharet | yadāhāro bhavettena pūjayetpitṛdevatāḥ 4| pūjayedatithiṃ nityaṃ snātvā cābhyarcayetsurān | gṛhādādāya cāśnīyādaṣṭau grāsānsamāhitaḥ 5| jaṭāśca bibhṛyānnityaṃ nakharomāṇi notsṛjet | svādhyāyaṃ sarvathā kuryānniyacchedvācamanyataḥ 6| agnihotraṃ ca juhuyātpaṃcayajñānsamācaret | utpannairvividhairmedhyaiḥ śākamūlaphalena vā 7| cīravāsā bhavennityaṃ snāyāttriṣavaṇaṃ śuciḥ | sarvabhūtānukaṃpaśca pratigrahavivarjitaḥ 8| darśena paurṇamāsena yajeta niyataṃ dvijaḥ | ṛtviṣṭyāgrayaṇe caiva cāturmāsyāni kārayet 9| uttarāyaṇaṃ ca kramaśo dakṣiṇāyanameva ca | vāsaṃtaśāradairmeddhyairutpannaiḥ svayamāhṛtaiḥ 10| puroḍāśāṃścarūṃścaiva vidhivannirvapetpṛthak | devatābhyaḥ pitṛbhyaśca dattvā medhyataraṃ haviḥ 11| śeṣaṃ samupabhuṃjīta lavaṇaṃ ca svayaṃkṛtam | varjjayenmadyamāṃsāni bhaumāni kavakāni ca 12| bhūstṛṇaṃ śaṣpakaṃ caiva śleṣmātaka phalāni ca | na phālakṛṣṭamaśnīyādutsṛṣṭamapi kenacit 13| na grāmajātānyārtopi puṣpāṇi ca phalāni ca | śrāvaṇenaiva vidhinā vahniṃ paricaretsadā 14| na druhyetsarvabhūtāni nirdvaṃdvo nirbhayo bhavet | na naktaṃ kiṃcidaśnīyādrātrau dhyānaparo bhavet 15| jiteṃdriyo jitakrodhastattvajñānaviciṃtakaḥ | brahmacārī bhavennityaṃ na patnīmapi saṃśrayet 16| yastu patnyā vanaṃ gatvā maithunaṃ kāmataścaret | tadvrataṃ tasya lupyeta prāyaścittīyate dvijaḥ 17| tatra yo jāyate garbho na sa spṛśyo dvijātibhiḥ | na hi vededhikārosya tadvaṃśepyevameva hi 18| bhūmau śayīta satataṃ sāvitrījapyatatparaḥ | śaraṇyaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ sadvibhāgaparaḥ sadā 19| parivādaṃ mṛṣāvādaṃ nidrālasye ca varjayet | ekāgniraniketaḥ syātprokṣitāṃ bhūmimāśrayet 20| mṛgaiḥ saha careddāṃtastaiḥ sahaiva ca saṃvaset | śilāyāṃ śarkarāyāṃ vā śayīta susamāhitaḥ 21| sadyaḥ prakṣālako vā syānmāsasaṃcayikopi vā | ṣaṇmāsanicayo vāpi samānicaya eva vā 22| naktaṃ cānnaṃ samaśnīyāddivā cāhṛtya śaktitaḥ | caturthakālako vā syātkiṃ vāpyaṣṭamakālikaḥ 23| cāṃdrāyaṇavidhānairvā śuklekṛṣṇe ca varjayet | pakṣepakṣe samaśnīyādyavāgūṃ kvathitāṃ sakṛt 24| puṣpamūlaphalairvāpi kevalairvartayetsadā | svābhāvikaiḥ svayaṃśīrṇairvaikhānasamate sthitaḥ 25| bhūmau vā parivarteta tiṣṭhedvā prapadairdinam | sthānāsanābhyāṃ viharenna kvaciddhairyyamutsṛjet 26| grīṣme paṃcatapāśca syādvarṣāsvabhrāvakāśikaḥ | ārdravāsāśca hemaṃte kramaśo varddhayettapaḥ 27| upaspṛśettriṣavaṇaṃ pitṛdevāṃśca tarpayet | ekapādena tiṣṭheta marīciṃ vā pibetsadā 28| paṃcāgnidhūmago vā syādūṣmagaḥ somapopi vā | payaḥ pibecchuklapakṣe kṛṣṇapakṣe tu gomayam 29| śīrṇaparṇāśano vā syātkṛcchrairvā vartayetsadā | yogābhyāsarataśca syādrudrādhyāyī bhavetsadā 30| atharvaśirasodhyetā vedāṃtābhyāsatatparaḥ | yamānseveta satataṃ niyamāṃścāpyataṃdritaḥ 31| atha cāgnīnsamāropya svātmani dhyānatatparaḥ 32| anagniraniketo vā munirmokṣaparo bhavet | tāpaseṣveva vipreṣu yātrikaṃ bhaikṣamāharet 33| gṛhamedhiṣu cānyeṣu dvijeṣu vanacāriṣu | grāmādāhṛtya cāśnīyādaṣṭau grāsānvane vasan 34| pratigṛhya puṭenaiva pāṇinā śakalena vā | vividhāścopaniṣada ātmasaṃsiddhaye japet 35| vidyāviśeṣānsāvitrīṃ rudrādhyāyaṃ tathaiva ca | mahāprasthānikaṃ vāsau kuryyādanaśanaṃ tathā | agnipraveśamanyadvā brahmārpaṇavidhau sthitaḥ 36| iti śrīpādme mahāpurāṇe svargakhaṃḍe vānaprasthāśramācāradharmo nāmāṣṭapaṃcāśattamo'dhyāyaḥ 58|
English translation
Vyāsa said :
1-4. Having thus remained in the householder’s stage during the second part of his life, he should, with his wife and (the sacred) fire, resort to the third stage of life. Or, having entrusted his wife to his sons, he should go to a forest after seeing the child of his child (i.e. the grandchild) and when his body has become infirm. He, observing a vow and being calm, should practise penance after having gone to a forest in the forenoon (of a day) in the bright half of a month in the auspicious uttarāyaṇa (i.e. the summer solstice). He should everyday fetch for his food pure roots and fruits. With that which is his food, he should please the manes and deities.
5-15. He should everyday please the guests, and after bath he should worship gods. Being calm and getting eight morsels of food from his house, he should eat them. He should have matted hair and should not cut off his nails and hair. He should always recite sacred texts and refrain from talking about anything else. He should maintain the sacred fire and perform the five sacrifices with the various things that are produced (there) or with vegetables or roots or fruits; he should be clothed in bark and being pure should bathe thrice (a day). He should be compassionate towards all beings and should avoid accepting (gifts). A twice-born should always perform the new moon and full moon sacrifices. He should perform the seasonal sacrifice and also offer an oblation of the first fruits at the end of the rainy season and perform the cāturmāsya sacrifices (performed every four months, i.e. at the beginning of Kārtika , Phālguna and Āṣāḍha ). In the summer solstice and the winter solstice he should, in the proper order, perform sacrifices with products of the spring and the autumn seasons brought by himself, and should separately offer puroḍāśas and carūs. Having offered more auspicious oblations to deities and manes, he should eat the remaining, saline in taste and prepared by himself. He should avoid liquor and flesh and mushrooms growing on the ground. He should not eat fragrant or young grass, no. fruits of śleṣmātaka, no products of ploughed land nor that which is abandoned by others. Even when he is sick he should not eat flowers and fruits growing in villages. He should always wait upon fire with rites as laid down in the Vedas . He should not bear malice against any being; he should be free from the pairs of opposites; he should be fearless. He should not eat anything at night, and should engage himself in meditation at night.
16-26a. He should control his senses, curb his anger and should think over the true nature of Brahman . He should always observe celibacy and should not even resort to (i.e. cohabit with) his wife. That twice-born, who, after having gone to the forest copulates at his will with his wife, has his vow lost, and he has to atone for it. The foetus (i.e. the child) that is born there (i.e. due to this copulation) should not be touched by twice-borns. He is not entitled to (the study of) the Vedas; the same is (the rule applicable to the members born) in his family. Intent on muttering the Gāyatrī -hymn, he should always sleep on the (bare) ground. He should protect all creatures, and should always give gifts to the good. He should avoid censure, telling lies, sleep, idleness. He should maintain one (sacred) fire; should be without an abode; and should resort to the ground that is sprinkled with water. Being restrained, he should move with animals and live with them only. Being calm, he should sleep on a stone or sand. He should cleanse (i.e. finish his stock) instantly or within a month, or should have the stock lasting for six months or for a year. Having collected food according to his capacity by day, he should eat it at night. He should eat every fourth time or eighth time, or should avoid (food) according to the cāndrāyaṇa vow in the bright and the dark fortnights. He should eat boiled gruel of barley once in every fortnight. Or he should, conforming to the creed of an anchorite, subsist on the natural flowers, roots and fruits which are withered. He should roam about on the ground or stand on the fore-parts of his feet for a day.
26b-36. He should divert himself with (various) places and seats, and should never give up calmness. He should observe the vow of the five fires [1] in summer; should expose himself to the rain in rainy season; should put on wet clothes in winter. He should gradually increase his penance. He should bathe three times a day and should gratify his manes and deities. He should stand on one leg only, or should always drink the sun’s ray. Or he should move in the smoke of the five fires, or should move in the heat or drink Soma . In the bright half he should drink milk and in dark half cow-dung. Or he should eat withered leaves or should live by bodily mortification. He should always engage himself in practising abstract meditation, or should always recite the Rudra (-hymn). He should study the Atharvaśiras, and should be intent on studying the Upaniṣads . He should carefully observe the restraints and vows. He should use the hide of a black antelope; should have an upper garment and a white sacred thread. Having put on the fires, he should be intent on meditating on his soul. An ascetic, not keeping the fire, having no abode, should be intent on (getting) salvation. Moving among ascetic twice-borns or among householders or other twice-borns moving in the forest, he should beg alms. Or getting it from the village, he should, living in the forest, eat eight morsels. He should eat from a leaf-vessel or from his hand or from a piece (of a pot etc.). He should mutter various Upaniṣadic hymns for self-realization; he should mutter particular incantations, Gāyatrī-hymn and Rudrādhyāya also. He should set out on the great journey (death) and stop taking food. Or following the religious commandment of offering himself to Brahman, he should enter fire.
[1]: [1] : Pañcatapas—An ascetic who in summer practises penance sitting in the middle of four fires with the sun burning right over his head.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 43444, revision 335750 (2022-04-14T10:16:34Z). English is N. A. Deshpande’s complete translation, controlled against its chapter page at https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-padma-purana/d/doc365277.html and the ten-volume archival witness. The witnesses are aligned at chapter level; no unsupported verse-by-verse equivalence is asserted.