Shloka 7
Varṣā-Śarad Vṛndāvana-Śobha: The Beauty of the Rainy and Autumn Seasons in Vraja
तप:कृशा देवमीढा आसीद् वर्षीयसी मही । यथैव काम्यतपसस्तनु: सम्प्राप्य तत्फलम् ॥ ७ ॥
tapaḥ-kṛśā deva-mīḍhā āsīd varṣīyasī mahī yathaiva kāmya-tapasas tanuḥ samprāpya tat-phalam
Emaciated by the summer’s heat, the earth became fully nourished again when moistened by the god of rain. So too one who has thinned his body by austerities for a worldly aim becomes replenished upon attaining their fruit.
In Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda comments on this verse as follows: “Before the rainfall, the whole surface of the globe becomes almost depleted of all kinds of energies and appears very lean. After the rainfall, the whole surface of the earth becomes green with vegetation and appears very healthy and strong. Here a comparison is made to the person undergoing austerities for fulfillment of a material desire. The flourishing condition of the earth after a rainy season is compared to the fulfillment of material desires. Sometimes, when a country is subjugated by an undesirable government, persons and parties undergo severe penances and austerities to get control of the government, and when they attain control they flourish by giving themselves generous salaries. This also is like the flourishing of the earth in the rainy season. Actually, one should undergo severe austerities and penances only to achieve spiritual happiness. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is recommended that tapasya, or austerity, should be accepted for realizing the Supreme Lord. By accepting austerity in devotional service, one regains his spiritual life, and as soon as one regains his spiritual life, he enjoys unlimited spiritual bliss. But if someone undertakes austerities and penances for some material gain, it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that the results are temporary and are desired only by persons of less intelligence.”
FAQs
It compares the earth’s withered condition to a person who performs desire-driven austerity: even after gaining the sought result, one may be left weakened—hinting that material goals do not nourish the soul like bhakti does.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is narrating to King Parīkṣit, using the seasons of Vṛndāvana as devotional and philosophical metaphors that illuminate inner states like desire, detachment, and dependence on divine grace.
Avoid exhausting yourself for purely ego-driven outcomes; choose disciplines (work, study, sādhanā) that nourish character and devotion, so the “result” doesn’t leave you spiritually depleted.