Manava Dharmashastra 6.32

6.32

pūrvoktāni tapāṃsi mahāprasthānaṃ cānantaroktaṃ maharṣicaryā | āsāmanyatamayā nadīpraveśena bhṛguprapatanenāgnipraveśenāhāranivṛttyā vā śarīraṃ tyajet |
asya phalaṃ vītaśokabhayasya brahmalokaprāptiḥ | narakādiduḥkhānubhavaḥ 'śokaḥ' | 'bhayaṃ' narakaṃ gamiṣyāmīti | tadasya vyeti | avyavadhānenaiva, nārcirādikrameṇa, brahmalokaṃ prāpnoti |
iha sthānaviśeṣo 'brahmalokaḥ', svargādapi niratiśayastatra mahīyate pūjyamāna āste | na tu brahmaṇaḥ svārājyaṃ prāpnoti, lokagrahaṇāt | caturthe hyāśrame mokṣaṃ vakṣyati | na kevalakarmakṛto mokṣa ityāhuḥ |
nanu cāsyāpyuktaṃ "vividhāścaupaniṣadīrātmasaṃsiddhaye śrutīriti" | ātmasaṃsiddhiśca ātmopāsanatayā tadbhāvāpattiḥ | na hyanyaḥ saṃsiddhiśabdasyārtha upapadyate | aupaniṣadīṣu śrutiṣu tadbhāvyaṃ yogināmātmānaṃ "brahmasaṃstho'mṛtatvametīti" ca | 'atha sāyujyaṃ gacchatītyādi' |
athocyate—"anyā api tapaḥsiddhayaḥ śrūyante | 'sa yadi pitṛlokakāmo bhavati' ityādi saṃkalpitārthopapāditā sārṣṭiṃtā sālokyaṃ ca puruṣasya bhaviṣyati | na punarmokṣa iti" | tadayuktaṃ viśeṣābhāvāt | yathaiva parimitaphalāsūpāsanāsvadhikriyate evamamṛtatvaprāptāvapi | na kvacicchrūyate parivrājakenaivopāsanānyadvaitaviṣayāṇi kartavyāni |
'nanu ca "trayo dharmaskandhāḥ" ityupakramya "yajño'dhyayanaṃ dānam" ityanena gṛhasthadharmā uktāḥ | tapa evetyanena vānaprasthaḥ | brahmacāryācāryakulavāsītyanena naiṣṭhikaḥ | brahmasaṃstha ityanena parivrājakaḥ | eteṣāṃ trayāṇāṃ puṇyalokā uktāḥ | pāriśeṣyādetadvyatiriktasyāmṛtatvam' |
naivam | brahmaṇi saṃtiṣṭhate prayatate tatparasya brahmasaṃsthasya yaugikatvādasya śabdasya | 'nanu ca yadi sarveṣāmadhikārastadaitāvadeva vaktavyaṃ brahmasaṃstho'mṛtatvametoti' | naivam | āśramāṇāṃ svavidhivākyāvagataṃ phalaṃ saṃpattayiṣvaḥ puṇyalokā bhavantīti brahmasaṃsthasya tadāśramāvasthitasyaivāmṛtatvamapunarāvṛttilakṣaṇaṃ vidhīyate |
"nanu cādvaitarūpaṃ brahma tyātmavidaḥ | sa ca nivṛttakarmākhyaḥ | āśramāśca pravṛttamārgākhyāḥ kriyākārakaphalabhedānuṣṭhānātmakāḥ | tatrādvaitātmavijñāne samānabhedāśrayāṇi ca gṛhasthādyagnihotrakarmādīnīti parasparavirodhaḥ |"
atrocyate | samānametat pārivrājye'pi yamaniyamānāmiṣṭatvātte ca bhedāśrayāḥ | athāpyucyeta 'karmasaṃnyāsino nivṛttimārgāvasthāyino naiva kecicchāstrārthavidhayaḥ santi' |
nāyaṃ śāstrārthaḥ | ahaṃkāramamakāratyāga eva saṃnyāso vakṣyate, nāśeṣaśāstrārthatyāgaḥ | tasyāpi kṣudhādyupahatasya bhikṣādau pravartamānasyāstyeva kriyākāraka sambandhaḥ | tatra laukike dṛṣṭārthabhede pravartamānasya advaitātmavijñānabhāvanamaviruddham | śāstrīye tvagnihotrādau virodhāditi ko yuktakāryaṃ vadet |
athocyate- "kṣudhādyupahatasyāpyadvaitatyāgo virodhinā bhojanena tāvatkāla eva | yathā'ndhatamasi calitasya gacchataḥ kaṇṭakapradeśe pādanyāsaḥ savitari punarudite labdhaprakāśasya punarnyāyyamevādhvanyasyākaṇṭake'vasthānam | tathā kṣudhādyupaghāte vicchinnātmavijñānasya cakṣurmālokasthānīyāyāṃ kṣunnivṛttau punardṛḍhasaṃskāravaśādadvaita evāvasthānamiti |"
tattāpase'pyaviruddham | gṛhasthasyāpi putradārāditadupāsanamaviruddham | "bahuvyāpāratastu bhedasātmyatāṃ gatasya kuto'dvaitasaṃskārotpattiḥ" | uktaṃ ca gṛhasthadharmeṣu "ekākī cintayediti" (a0 4 ślo0 258) | tathā "putre sarvaṃ samāsajyeti" (a0 4 ślo0 257) |
"nanu ca 'tasmāduha na purāyuṣaḥ svaḥkāmī preyāt' iti śrutiḥ | tatra kuto vānaprasthasya śarīratyāgaḥ | na hi sā śrutirvānaprasthādanyatrānayā smṛtyā viṣaya upasthāpayituṃ śakyate | balīyasī hi śrutiḥ | sā ca smṛtyanurodhena na saṃkocamarhati" |
ucyate--jarasā viśīryetyāniṣṭasaṃdarśanādinā vā vidite pratyāsanne mṛtyau mumūrṣato na śrutivirodhaḥ | evaṃ hi tatra śrūyate "na purāyuṣa" iti | avasthāviśeṣe hyanabhiprete maraṇe etāvaddevāvakṣyat "na svaḥkāmī preyāditi" | ariṣṭopadeśaścopaniṣatsvevamarthavānbhavati | yasya tvetannimittaṃ maraṇaṃ nāsti |

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
The austerities spoken of above and the ‘Grand Journey’ just spoken of constitute ‘the methods adopted by the Great Sages.’ By ‘one of these’—by drowning in a river, by falling from a precipice, by burning one self by fire, by starving one’self to death—one should discard his body.

The result of this is that ‘with sorrow and fear departed’ he reaches the regions of Brahman. ‘Sorrow’ consists in the experiencing of the sufferings of hell, etc.,—‘Fear’—of going to hell. Both these disappear for the man; and directly—not having to pass through the several stages of Light, etc.—he goes to the region of Brahman.