Fourteen Worlds
FOURTEEN WORLDSVedic Cosmology

SB 11.17.30

Devanāgarī

एवंवृत्तो गुरुकुले वसेद् भोगविवर्जित: । विद्या समाप्यते यावद् बिभ्रद् व्रतमखण्डितम् ॥ ३० ॥

Text

evaṁ-vṛtto gurukule vased bhoga-vivarjitaḥ vidyā samāpyate yāvad bibhrad vratam akhaṇḍitam

Synonyms

evam—thus;vṛttaḥ—engaged;gurukule—in theāśramaof the spiritual master;vaset—he should live;bhoga—sense gratification;vivarjitaḥ—freed from;vidyā—Vedic education;samāpyate—is completed;yāvat—until;bibhrat—maintaining;vratam—the vow (ofbrahmacarya);akhaṇḍitam—unbroken.

Translation

Until the student has completed his Vedic education he should remain engaged in the āśrama of the spiritual master, should remain completely free of material sense gratification and should not break his vow of celibacy [brahmacarya].

Purport

This verse describes the upakurvāṇa-brahmacārī, who enters gṛhastha-āśrama, or family life, after completing his Vedic education. The word evaṁ-vṛttaḥ indicates that although one may eventually marry and become prominent in society as an intellectual, politician or businessman, during student life one must remain without false prestige as a humble servant of the bona fide spiritual master. The naiṣṭhiki-brahmacārī, who never marries, is described in the following verse.
← SB 11.17.29Chapter 17SB 11.17.31