Bhashya
ओंकारस्योपासनविध्यर्थं त्रयो धर्मस्कन्धा इत्याद्यार-भ्यते ।नैव मन्तव्यं सामावयवभूतस्यैवोद्गीथादिलक्षणस्यो-कारस्योपासनात्फल प्राप्यत इति, किं तर्हि, यत्सर्वैरपिसामोपासनैः कर्मभिश्चाप्राप्यं तत्फलममृतत्वं केवलादोंकारो-पासनात्प्राप्यत इति ।तत्स्तुत्यर्थं सामप्रकरणे तदुपन्यासः ।त्रयः त्रिसंख्याका धर्मस्य स्कन्धाः धर्मस्कन्धाः धर्मप्रवि-भागा इत्यर्थः, के ते इति, आह— यज्ञः अग्निहोत्रादिः,अध्ययनं स नियमस्य ऋगादेरभ्यासः, दानं बहिर्वेदि यथा-शक्ति द्रव्यसंविभागो भिक्षमाणेभ्यः, इति एष प्रथमः धर्म-स्कन्ध गृहस्थसमवेतत्वात् तन्निर्वर्तकेन गृहस्थेन निर्दिश्यते,प्रथम एक इत्यर्थः, द्वितीयतृतीयश्रवणात् न आद्यार्थः ।तप एव द्वितीयः, तप इति कृच्छ्रचान्द्रायणादि तद्वान्तापसः परिव्राड्वा, न ब्रह्मसंस्थः आश्रमधर्ममात्रसंस्थः, ब्रह्म-संस्थस्य तु अमृतत्वश्रवणात्, द्वितीयः धर्मस्कन्धः ।ब्रह्म-चारी आचार्यकुले वस्तुं शीलमस्येत्याचार्यकुलवासी ।अत्य-न्तं यावज्जीवम् आत्मानं नियमैः आचार्यकुले अवसादयन्क्षपयन् देहं तृतीयः धर्मस्कन्धः ।अत्यन्तमित्यादिविशेषणान्नै-ष्ठिक इति गम्यते ।उपकुर्वाणस्य स्वाध्यायग्रहणार्थत्वात् नपुण्यलोकत्वं ब्रह्मचर्येण ।सर्व एते त्रयोऽप्याश्रमिणो यथो-क्तैर्धर्मैः पुण्यलोका भवन्ति, पुण्यो लोको येषां त इमेपुण्यलोका आश्रमिणो भवन्ति ।अवशिष्टस्त्वनुक्तः परि-व्राट् तुरीयः ब्रह्मसंस्थः ब्रह्मणि सम्यक्स्थितः, सोऽमृतत्वंपुण्यलोकविलक्षणममरणभावमात्यन्तिकम् एति, न आपेक्षि-कम्, देवाद्यमृतत्ववत्, पुण्यलोकात्पृथक् अमृतत्वस्यविभागकरणात् ॥
In plain words
To introduce the contemplation of the sacred syllable Om, the scripture begins: 'There are three branches of duty...' We must not think that the ultimate fruit comes only from meditating on Om as a mere part of the sacrificial chant. Rather, that supreme fruit of absolute immortality—which no ritual or ordinary meditation can ever reach—is attained through the pure contemplation of Om alone. This section introduces it here to sing its praises. The 'three branches' are the divisions of a righteous life. What are they? First: sacrifice, study, and giving. This represents the householder's path. Second: austerity, practiced by the forest hermit or ascetic who is dedicated to penance but not yet fully anchored in the Absolute. Third: the lifelong student who dwells in the home of the teacher, dedicating his entire life and body to sacred discipline. All three of these paths lead to the meritorious worlds of heaven. But the fourth—the wanderer who is fully, beautifully established in the non-dual reality of Brahman—attains true, absolute immortality. This is not the temporary, relative survival enjoyed by the gods, but the ultimate freedom that transcends all worlds.
Close to the Sanskrit
For the purpose of the injunction of meditation on Omkara, 'three are the branches of duty' etc. is begun. It should not be thought that the fruit is obtained only from the meditation on Omkara which is a part of the Sama chant, such as Udgitha. What then? That fruit which is immortality, unattainable by all Sama meditations and rituals, is obtained from the meditation on Omkara alone. For its praise, its mention is made in the section on Sama. 'Three' means three in number. 'Of duty' 'branches' means divisions of duty. Which are they? He says: sacrifice, i.e., Agnihotra etc.; study, i.e., the practice of Rigveda etc. with rules; charity, i.e., distribution of wealth outside the altar according to capacity to those who beg. Thus, this first branch of duty, being associated with the householder, is indicated by the householder who performs it. 'First' means one, not the beginning, because of the hearing of second and third. 'Austerity indeed is the second.' Austerity means Krichhra, Chandrayana, etc. One who has that is an ascetic or a wanderer, not one established in Brahman, but one established only in the duties of the ashrama, because immortality is heard of for the one established in Brahman. This is the second branch of duty. A brahmachari is one whose nature is to dwell in the teacher's house, i.e., a resident of the teacher's house. Extremely, i.e., lifelong, wearing down himself with rules in the teacher's house, decaying the body, is the third branch of duty. Because of the qualification 'extremely' etc., a perpetual student (naishthika) is understood. For the temporary student (upakurvana), because his study is for the sake of acquiring knowledge, there is no attainment of holy worlds through brahmacharya. All these three stage-dwellers, by the described duties, become possessors of holy worlds. Those whose world is holy are these holy-world stage-dwellers. But the remaining, unmentioned wanderer, the fourth, established in Brahman, completely established in Brahman, he attains immortality, which is distinct from the holy worlds, absolute deathlessness, not relative like the immortality of the gods, because of the separate classification of immortality from the holy worlds.