Matsyapurana 40.3

40.3

dharmāgataṃ prāpya dhanaṃ yajeta dadyātsadaivātithīnbhojayecca
anādadānaśca parairadattaṃ saiṣā gṛhasthopaniṣatpurāṇī //

Yayâti.—"A student [Brahmachâri] attains his end by diligently studying when called by his teacher to do so, by showing reverence and obedience to his preceptor, by getting up ahead of his preceptor, and by going to bed after him, by being mild, by controlling his passions, by keeping himself steady and not fickle, and by applying himself to his studies. A householder, [Gṛihastha], is said to be ideal when he earns an honest living, performs sacrifices, entertains his guests, gives alms to the poor, and does not beg from others, nor accepts anything unless given unasked, and constanly studies Upanisads and Purâṇas. An anchorite, [Vânaprastha], should live in the forest on his daily-earned subsistence, is said to reach his goal when he earns his subsistence by self-perseverance, keeps himself quite aloof from sins, is entertaining and of good cheer to others, and does not cause injury to any one. Such a muni attains perfection, being regular in his diet and activities. The Sannyâsi should subsist on begging, and should not resort to any craft, should have no house of his own to live in, who check his passions, keep himself devoid of all company, sleep under a tree, having limited ambitions, travelling in various countries, and having one suit of clothes. He is said to be a true Bhikṣuka. At night time, when the rest of the world is indulging in sensual pleasures by being a slave to Cupid, the learned hermit should, peacefully, pass his time in the forest, because the man who fixes his abode in the forest after weaning himself from the world, leads his twenty-one generations, including himself, viz.,—ten ancestors and an equal number of his successors, including himself, to the path of virtue.”—2-7.