Markandeya Purana · Chapter 28

iti śrīmārkaṇḍeyapurāṇe pitāputrasaṃvāde ātmaviveko nāma saptaviṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ
aṣṭāviṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ
jaḍa uvāca
tanmāturvacanaṃ śrutvā so 'larko mātaraṃ punaḥ /
papraccha varṇadharmāṃśca dharmā ye cāśrameṣu ca

alarka uvāca
kathito 'yaṃ mahābhāge ! rājyatantrāśritastvayā /
dharmaṃ tamahamicchāmi śrotuṃ varṇāśramātmakam

madālasovāca
dānamadhyayanaṃ yajño brāhmaṇasya tridhā mataḥ /
nānyaścaturtho dharmo 'sti dharmastasyāpadaṃ vinā

yājanādhyāpane śuddhe tathā pūtapratigrahaḥ /
eṣā samyak samākhyatā trividhā cāsya jīvikā

dānamadhyayanaṃ yajñaḥ kṣatriyasyāpyayaṃ tridhā /
dharmaḥ proktaḥ kṣite rakṣā śastrājīvañca jīvikā

dānamadhyayanaṃ yajño vaiśyasyāpi tridhaiva saḥ /
vāṇijyaṃ pāśupālyañca kṛṣiścaivāsya jīvikā

dānaṃ yajño 'tha śuśrūṣā dvijātīnāṃ tridhā mayā /
vyākhyātaḥ śūdradharmo 'pi jīvikā kārukarma ca

tadvad dvijātiśuśrūṣā poṣaṇaṃ krayavikrayau /
varṇadharmāstvime proktāḥ śrūyantāṃ cāśramāśrayāḥ

svavarṇadharmāt saṃsiddhiṃ naraḥ prāpnoti na cyutaḥ /
prayāti narakaṃ pretya pratiṣiddhaniṣevaṇāt

yāvattu nopanayanaṃ kriyate vai dvijanmanaḥ /
kāmaceṣṭoktibhakṣyaśca tāvad bhavati putraka

kṛtopanayanaḥ samyag brahmacārī gururgṛhe /
vasettatra ca dharmo 'sya kathyate taṃ nibodha me

svādhyāyo 'thāgriśuśrūṣā snānaṃ bhikṣāṭanaṃ tathā /
gurornivedya taccānnamanujñātena sarvadā

guroḥ karmaṇi sodyogaḥ samyak prītyupapādanam /
tenāhūtaḥ paṭheccaiva tatparo nānyamānasaḥ

ekaṃ dvau sakalān vāpi vedān prāpya gurormukhāt /
anujñāto 'tha vanditvā dakṣiṇāṃ gurave tataḥ

gārhasthyāśramakāmastu gṛhasthāśramamāvaset /
vānaprasthāśramaṃ vāpi caturthaṃ cecchayātmanaḥ

tatraiva vā gurorgehe dvijo niṣṭhāmavāpnuyāt /
gurorabhāve tatputre tacchiṣye tatsutaṃ vinā

śuśrūṣurnirabhimāno brahmacāryāśramaṃ vaset /
upāvṛttastatastasmāt gṛhasthāśramakāmyayā

tato 'samānarṣikulāṃ tulyāṃ bhāryāmarogiṇīm /
udvahennyāyato 'vyaṅgāṃ gṛhasthāśramakāraṇāt

svakarmaṇā dhanaṃ labdhvā pitṛdevātithīṃstathā /
samyak samprīṇayan bhaktyā poṣayeccāśritāṃstathā

bhṛtyātmajān jāmayo 'tha dīnāndhapatitānapi /
yathāśaktyānnadānena vayāṃsi paśavastathā

eṣa dharmo gṛhasthasya ṛtāvabhigamastathā /
pañcayajñavidhānantu yathāśaktyā na hāpayet

pitṛdevātithijñātibhuktaśeṣaṃ svayaṃ naraḥ /
bhuñjīta ca samaṃ bhṛtyairyathāvibhavamādṛtaḥ

eṣa tūddeśataḥ prokto gṛhasthasyāśramo mayā /
vānaprasthasya dharmaṃ te kathayāmyavadhāryatām

apatyasantatiṃ dṛṣṭvā prājño cānatim /
vānaprasthāśramaṃ gacchedātmanaḥ śuddhikāraṇāt

tatrāraṇyopabhogaśca tapobhiścānukarṣaṇam /
bhūmau śayyā brahmacaryaṃ pitṛdevātithikriyā

homastriṣavaṇastrānaṃ jaṭāvalkaladhāraṇam /
yogābhyāsaḥ sadā caiva vanyasnehaniṣevaṇam

ityeṣa pāpaśuddhyarthamātmanaścopakārakaḥ /
vānaprasthāśramastasmād bhikṣostu caramo 'paraḥ

caturthasya svarūpaṃ tu śruyatāmāśramasya me /
yaḥ svadharmo 'sya dharmajñaiḥ proktastāta ! mahātmabhiḥ

sarvasaṅgaparityāgo brahmacaryamakopitā /
yatendriyatvamāvāse naikasmin vasatiściram

anārambhastathāhāro bhaikṣānnenaikakālinā /
ātmajñānāvabodhecchā tathā cātmāvalokanam

caturthe tvāśrame dharmo mayāyaṃ te niveditaḥ /
sāmānyamanyavarṇānāmāśramāṇāñca me śṛṇu

satyaṃ śaucamahiṃsā ca anasūyā tathā kṣamā /
ānṛśaṃsyamakārpaṇyaṃ santoṣaścāṣṭamo guṇaḥ

ete saṃkṣepataḥ proktā dharmā varṇāśrameṣu te /
eteṣu ca svadharmeṣu sveṣu tiṣṭhet samantataḥ

yaścollaṅghya svakaṃ dharmaṃ svavarṇāśramasaṃjñitam /
naro 'nyathā pravarteta sa daṇḍyo bhūbhṛto bhavet

ye ca svadharmasantyāgāt pāpaṃ kurvanti mānavāḥ /
upekṣatastān nṛpateriṣṭāpūrtaṃ praṇaśyati

tasmādrājñā prayatnena sarve varṇāḥ svadharmataḥ /
pravartanto 'nyathā daṇḍyāḥ sthāpyāścaiva svakarmasu