Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 4
Vānaprastha-vidhi and Sannyāsa-dharma: Austerity, Detachment, and the Paramahaṁsa Ideal
ग्रीष्मे तप्येत पञ्चाग्नीन् वर्षास्वासारषाड्जले । आकण्ठमग्न: शिशिर एवंवृत्तस्तपश्चरेत् ॥ ४ ॥
grīṣme tapyeta pañcāgnīn varṣāsv āsāra-ṣāḍ jale ākaṇtha-magnaḥ śiśira evaṁ vṛttas tapaś caret
Thus engaged as a vānaprastha, one should perform austerity in the blazing summer by the pañcāgni—fires on four sides and the fierce sun above; in the rainy season one should remain outdoors amid torrents of rain; and in the freezing winter one should stay in water up to the neck, practicing penance.
One who engages in sense gratification must perform severe penances at the end of life to counteract his sinful, hedonistic activities. A devotee of the Lord, however, naturally develops Kṛṣṇa consciousness and need not subject himself to such radical penances. As stated in the Pañcarātra:
FAQs
This verse describes traditional tapas for a renunciate—enduring heat, rain, and cold—to cultivate tolerance, self-control, and detachment from bodily comfort.
In the Uddhava Gītā, Kṛṣṇa teaches Uddhava the disciplines of varṇāśrama and renunciation so that one can purify the mind, overcome bodily identification, and advance steadily toward devotion and liberation.
Practice voluntary discipline—regulated habits, simplicity, restraint of senses, and patient tolerance of discomfort—while keeping the purpose devotional: strengthening steadiness and remembrance of the Lord.