Śaṅkaraon Brahma Sūtra 3.4.39
Advaita Vedānta
Sūtra
अतस्त्वितरज्ज्यायो लिङ्गाच्च
atastvitarajjyāyo liṅgācca
Sūtra translation
Better than this is the other (state of be- longing to an di^rama), on account of the indicatory marks.
‘Than this,’ i. e. ‘than standing between,’ a better means of knowledge it is to stand within one of the a.yramas, since this is confirmed by Sruti and Smr/ti. For scripture supplies an indicatory mark in the passage, ‘ On that path goes whoever knows Brahman and who has done holy works (as prescribed for the Irramas) and obtained splendour ’ ( IV, 4, 9) ; and Smnti in the passage, ‘ Let a Brahmawa stay not one day even outside the Ajrama; having stayed outside for a year he goes to utter ruin.’