Chapter 17

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varṇadharmanirūpaṇam āśrameṣu brahmacārī gṛhastha dharmavarṇaṃ ca |
śrīuddhava uvāca |
yastvayābhihitaḥ pūrvaṃ dharmastvad‍bhaktilakṣaṇaḥ |
varṇāśramācāravatāṃ sarveṣāṃ dvipadāmapi || 1 ||
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yathānuṣṭhīyamānena tvayi bhaktirnṛṇāṃ bhavet |
svadharmeṇāravindākṣa tat samākhyātumarhasi || 2 ||
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purā kila mahābāho dharmaṃ paramakaṃ prabho |
yattena haṃsarūpeṇa brāhmaṇe'bhyāttha mādhava || 3 ||
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sa idānīṃ sumahatā kālenāmitrakarśana |
na prāyo bhavitā martya loke prāk anuśāsitaḥ || 4 ||
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vaktā kartāvitā nānyo dharmasyācyuta te bhuvi |
sabhāyāmapi vairiñcyāṃ yatra mūrtidharāḥ kalāḥ || 5 ||
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kartrāvitrā pravaktrā ca bhavatā madhusūdana |
tyakte mahītale deva vinaṣṭaṃ kaḥ pravakṣyati || 6 ||
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tattvaṃ naḥ sarvadharmajña dharmaḥ tvad‍bhaktilakṣaṇaḥ |
yathā yasya vidhīyeta tathā varṇaya me prabho || 7 ||
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śrīśuka uvāca |
itthaṃ svabhṛtyamukhyena pṛṣṭaḥ sa bhagavān hariḥ |
prītaḥ kṣemāya martyānāṃ dharmān āha sanātanān || 8 ||
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śrībhagavānuvāca |
dharmya eṣa tava praśno naiḥśreyasakaro nṛṇām |
varṇāśramācāravatāṃ tamuddhava nibodha me || 9 ||
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ādau kṛtayuge varṇo nṛṇāṃ haṃsa iti smṛtaḥ |
kṛtakṛtyāḥ prajā jātyā tasmāt kṛtayugaṃ viduḥ || 10 ||
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vedaḥ praṇava evāgre dharmo'haṃ vṛṣarūpadhṛk |
upāsate taponiṣṭhā haṃsaṃ māṃ muktakilbiṣāḥ || 11 ||
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tretāmukhe mahābhāga prāṇān me hṛdayāt trayī |
vidyā prādurabhūt tasyā ahamāsaṃ trivṛnmakhaḥ || 12 ||
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viprakṣatriyaviṭśūdrā mukhabāhūrupādajāḥ |
vairājāt puruṣāt jātā ya ātmācāralakṣaṇāḥ || 13 ||
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gṛhāśramo jaghanato brahmacaryaṃ hṛdo mama |
vakṣaḥsthalād vane vāso nyāsaḥ śīrṣaṇi saṃsthitaḥ || 14 ||
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varṇānāṃ āśramāṇāṃ ca janmabhūmyanusāriṇīḥ |
āsan prakṛtayo nṝṇāṃ nīcaiḥ nīcottamottamāḥ || 15 ||
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śamo damastapaḥ śaucaṃ saṃtoṣaḥ kṣāṃtirārjavam |
mad‍bhaktiśca dayā satyaṃ brahmaprakṛtayastvimāḥ || 16 ||
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tejo balaṃ dhṛtiḥ śauryaṃ titikṣaudāryamudyamaḥ |
sthairyaṃ brahmaṇyataiśvaryaṃ kṣatra prakṛtayastvimāḥ || 17 ||
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āstikyaṃ dānaniṣṭhā ca adaṃbho brahmasevanam |
atuṣṭiḥ arthopacayaiḥ vaiśya prakṛtayastvimāḥ || 18 ||
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śuśrūṣaṇaṃ dvijagavāṃ devānāṃ cāpi amāyayā |
tatra labdhena saṃtoṣaḥ śūdra prakṛtayastvimāḥ || 19 ||
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aśaucamanṛtaṃ steyaṃ nāstikyaṃ śuṣkavigrahaḥ |
kāmaḥ krodhaśca tarṣaśca svabhāvontyāvasāyinām || 20 ||
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ahiṃsā satyamasteyaṃ akāmakrodhalobhatā |
bhūtapriyahitehā ca dharmo'yaṃ sārvavarṇikaḥ || 21 ||
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dvitīyaṃ prāpyānupūrvyāt janmopānayanaṃ dvijaḥ |
vasan gurukule dānto brahmādhīyīta cāhūtaḥ || 22 ||
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mekhalā ajina daṇḍākṣa brahmasūtrakamaṇḍalūn |
jaṭilo adhautadadvāsaḥ araktapīṭhaḥ kuśān dadhat || 23 ||
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snānabhojanahomeṣu japoccāre ca vāgyataḥ |
na cchiṃdyān nakharomāṇi kakṣaupasthagatānyapi || 24 ||
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reto na avakiret jātu brahmavratadharaḥ svayam |
avakīrṇe avagāhya apsu yatāsuḥ tripadīṃ japet || 25 ||
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agnyarkācāryagovipra guruvṛddhasurān śuciḥ |
samāhita upāsīta saṃdhye ca yatavāgjapan || 26 ||
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ācāryaṃ māṃ vijānīyāt naavamanyeta karhicit |
na martyabuddhyāsūyeta sarvadevamayo guruḥ || 27 ||
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sāyaṃ prātaḥ upānīya bhaikṣyaṃ tasmai nivedayet |
yaccānyad api anujñātaṃ upayuñjīta saṃyataḥ || 28 ||
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śuśrūṣamāṇa ācāryaṃ sadāupāsīta nīcavat |
yāna śayyāsanasthānaiḥ nātidūre kṛtāñjaliḥ || 29 ||
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evaṃvṛtto gurukule vased ‍bhogavivarjitaḥ |
vidyā samāpyate yāvad bibhrad vrataṃ akhaṇḍitam || 30 ||
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yadi asau chaṃdasāṃ lokaṃ ārokṣyan brahmaviṣṭapam |
gurave vinyased dehaṃ svādhyāyārthaṃ bṛhadvrataḥ || 31 ||
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agnau gurāvātmani ca sarvabhūteṣu māṃ param |
apṛthagdhīḥ upasīta brahmavarcasvī akalmaṣaḥ || 32 ||
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strīṇāṃ nirīkṣaṇa sparśa saṃlāpa kṣvelanādikam |
prāṇino mithunībhūtān agṛhastho agratastyajet || 33 ||
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śaucaṃ ācamanaṃ snānaṃ saṃdhyopāsanamārjavam |
tīrthasevā japo'spṛśyā abhakṣya saṃbhāṣyavarjanam || 34 ||
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sarvāśramaprayukto'yaṃ niyamaḥ kulanaṃdana |
mad‍bhavaḥ sarvabhūteṣu manovākkāyasaṃyamaḥ || 35 ||
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evaṃ bṛhadvratadharo brāhmaṇo'gniḥ iva jvalan |
mad‍bhaktaḥ tīvratapasā dagdhakarmāśayo'malaḥ || 36 ||
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atha anaṃtaraṃ āvekṣyan yathā jijñāsitāgamaḥ |
gurave dakṣiṇāṃ dattvā snāyād gurvanumoditaḥ || 37 ||
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gṛhaṃ vanaṃ vopaviśet pravraje dvā dvijottamaḥ |
āśramādāśramaṃ gacchet nānyathā matparaścaret || 38 ||
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gṛhārthī sadṛśīṃ bhāryāṃ udvahed ajugupsitām |
yavīyasīṃ tu vayasā yāṃ savarṇāṃ anukramāt || 39 ||
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ijyaadhyayanadānāni sarveṣāṃ ca dvijanmanām |
pratigrahoadhyāpanaṃ ca brāhmaṇasyaiva yājanam || 40 ||
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pratigrahaṃ manyamānaḥ tapastejoyaśonudam |
anyābhyāmeva jīveta śilairvā doṣadṛk tayoḥ || 41 ||
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brāhmaṇasya hi deho'yaṃ kṣudrakāmāya neṣyate |
kṛcchrāya tapase ceha pretyānantasukhāya ca || 42 ||
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śiloñchavṛttyā parituṣṭacitto |
dharmaṃ mahāṃtaṃ virajaṃ juṣāṇaḥ |
mayyarpitātmā gṛha eva tiṣṭhan |
nātiprasaktaḥ samupaiti śāṃtim || 43 ||
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samuddharaṃti ye vipraṃ sīdaṃtaṃ matparāyaṇam |
tān uddhariṣye na cirād āpad‍bhyo nauḥ ivārṇavāt || 44 ||
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sarvāḥ samuddhared rājā piteva vyasanāt prajāḥ |
ātmānaṃ ātmanā dhīro yathā gajapatirgajān || 45 ||
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evaṃvidho narapatiḥ vimānenārkavarcasā |
vidhūya iha aśubhaṃ kṛtsnaṃ iṃdreṇa saha modate || 46 ||
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sīdan vipraḥ vaṇik vṛttyā paṇyaiḥ evāpadaṃ taret |
khaḍgena vā āpadākrāṃto na śvavṛttyā kathañcana || 47 ||
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vaiśyavṛttyā tu rājanyo jīvet mṛgayayāpadi |
cared vā viprarūpeṇa na śvavṛttyā kathañcana || 48 ||
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śūdravṛttiṃ bhajed vaiśyaḥ śūdraḥ kārukaṭakriyām |
kṛcchrān mukto na garhyeṇa vṛttiṃ lipseta karmaṇā || 49 ||
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vedādhyāya svadhā svāhā bali annādyaiḥ yathodayam |
devarṣipitṛbhūtāni mad rūpāṇi anvahaṃ yajet || 50 ||
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yadṛcchayā upapannena śuklena upārjitena vā |
dhanena apīḍayan bhṛtyān nyāyena eva āharet kratūn || 51 ||
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kuṭuṃbeṣu na sajjeta na pramādyet kuṭuṃbī api |
vipaścit naśvaraṃ paśyed adṛṣṭamapi dṛṣṭavat || 52 ||
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putradārā āptabaṃdhūnāṃ saṃgamaḥ pāṃthasaṅgamaḥ |
anudehaṃ viyantyete svapno nidrānugo yathā || 53 ||
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itthaṃ parimṛśan mukto gṛheṣu atithivad vasan |
na gṛhaiḥ anubadhyeta nirmamo nirahaṅkṛtaḥ || 54 ||
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karmabhiḥ gṛhamedhīyaiḥ iṣṭvā māmeva bhaktimān |
tiṣṭhed vanaṃ vopaviśet prajāvān vā parivrajet || 55 ||
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yastu āsaktamatiḥ gehe putravittaiṣaṇā āturaḥ |
straiṇaḥ kṛpaṇadhīḥ mūḍho mama ahaṃ iti badhyate || 56 ||
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aho me pitarau vṛddhau bhāryā bālātmaja'tmajāḥ |
anāthā māmṛte dīnāḥ kathaṃ jīvanti duḥkhitāḥ || 57 ||
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evaṃ gṛhāśayākṣipta hṛdayo mūḍhadhīḥ ayam |
atṛptastān anudhyāyan mṛto'ndhaṃ viśate tamaḥ || 58 ||
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iti śrīmad‍bhāgavate mahāpurāṇe pāramahaṃsyāṃ |
saṃhitāyāṃ ekādaśaskandhe saptadaśo'dhyāyaḥ || 17 ||
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