I translate it this way
" sa ha uvāca yājñavalkyo brahmacaryaṃ
isamāpya gṛhī bhavet gṛhī bhūtvā vanī bhavet vanī bhutvā pravrajet.
yadi iva itarathā brahmacaryād eva pravrajed gṛhādvā vanādvā.
atha punara vratī vā vrat vā snātako vā snātakovā utsannāgnir anagnikovā
yad ahar eva virajet tad ahar eva pravrajet"
After brahmacarya, become grhasta; after being a grhasta become vani (enter vana) after being vani, move away/roam/wander (pra- vrajet).
If otherwise from bramhacarya wander/roam away or from being grhi or vani, then again one following the vrata or vrata-snAtaka, or snAtaka who abandoned his agni (daily rituals/nitya karmas) (utsann agnir), who never did his rituals/karmas (anagni), that day (yad ahar) loses rajas/lack of rajas (vi- rajet), that day goes away/wanders (pra-vrajet).
Sattva, Rajas, Tamas are the three gunas. Sattva generally is considered mode of goodness. I consider it as mode of knowledge/information. Rajas is considered anger, passion. I consider it as mode of energy. In fact Yajnavalkya specifically calls rajas as energy here. Tamas is mode of darkness/ignorance etc.
The point here is when one becomes lack of rajas, or lack of energy, that day that person can wander/roam into saMnyAsa. That person can be brahmacharin, grhastA, a vrata snAtaka (who did not learn, but completed his school), a snAtaka who did not continue his karma anushtana, a snAtaka who never performed them or just about anyone.
There is a rule. The rule is go from brahmacharin to grhasta to vanaprastha to samnyasa.
There is exception. If you are vi-rajet, do not have energy at any stage of life, give up and adopt samnyasa.
This is how I see it.
-TBT
