गृहं वनं वोपविशेत् प्रव्रजेद् वा द्विजोत्तम: । आश्रमादाश्रमं गच्छेन्नान्यथामत्परश्चरेत् ॥ ३८ ॥
gṛhaṁ vanaṁ vopaviśet pravrajed vā dvijottamaḥ āśramād āśramaṁ gacchen nānyathāmat-paraś caret
- gṛham
- the family home
- vanam
- the forest
- vā
- either
- upaviśet
- one should enter
- pravrajet
- one should renounce
- vā
- or
- dvija-uttamaḥ
- a brāhmaṇa
- āśramāt
- from one authorized status of life
- āśramam
- to another authorized status
- gacchet
- one should go
- na
- not
- anyathā
- otherwise
- amat-paraḥ
- one who is not surrendered to Me
- caret
- should act
A brahmacārī desiring to fulfill his material desires should live at home with his family, and a householder who is eager to purify his consciousness should enter the forest, whereas a purified brāhmaṇa should accept the renounced order of life. One who is not surrendered to Me should move progressively from one āśrama to another, never acting otherwise.