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72 / MANAV DHARMA (MAHAVRATAS) of asceticism for the rest of one's own days of life.
शोकं भयमवसादं क्लेदं कालुष्य-मरति-मपि हित्वा ।
सत्त्वोत्साह-मुदीर्य च मनः प्रसाद्यं श्रुतैरमृतैः ॥१२६॥ Explanation :
Banishing grief, fear, anguish, attachment, wickedness and hatred, and bringing into manifestation energy and enthusiasm, one should extinguish the fire of passions with the Nectar of the word of God. (i.e. scriptures) this is in brief the nature of Passion - Sallekhana. Now the nature of Body-Sallekhana is being described in following verse:
आहारं परिहाप्य क्रमशः स्निग्धं विवर्द्धयेत्यानम् । स्निग्धं हापयित्वा खरपानं पूरयेत्क्रमशः ॥१२७॥
Explanation :
Giving up solid food by degrees, one should take to milk and whey then, giving them up, to hot or spiced water. Description :
Those who have firmly vowed to observe Sallekhana/Samadhimaran are advised first to give up the solid food like Bread, Pulses and Rice by degrees and then should start taking up milk and whey (59189) and after proper practice on living these things is done without any mental worry, then by degrees, milk and whey is to be renounced and only hot water is to be drunk and accepted.
खरपान हापनामपि कृत्वा कृत्वोपवासमपि शक्त्या ।
पञ्चनमस्कार -मनास्तनुं त्य जेत्सर्व यत्नेन ॥१२८॥ Explanation :
Subsequently giving up hot water also, and observing fasting with full determination, he should give up his body, trying in every possible way to keep in mind the five fold obeisance mantras (Pancha - Namaskara Mantra). Description :
In this way, one should subsequently, give up even the hot water, practising the above noted steps of giving up and patiently following his vows in purest state. He should also be careful, then to bow his head and soul in remembering and recalling the Panch