Shloka 41
जो मृगचर्या-व्रतकी दीक्षा ले मृगोंके मुखसे उच्छिष्ट हुई घासको प्रसन्नतापूर्वक उन्हींके साथ रहकर भक्षण करता है, वह मृत्युके पश्चात् अमरावतीपुरीमें जाता है ।। शैवालं शीर्णपर्ण वा तद्व॒ती यो निषेवते । शीतयोगवहो नित्यं स गच्छेत् परमां गतिम्,जो व्रतधारी वानप्रस्थ मुनि सेवार अथवा जीर्ण-शीर्ण पत्तेका आहार करता तथा जाड़ेमें प्रतेदिन शीतका कष्ट सहन करता है, वह परमगतिको प्राप्त होता है
yo mṛgacaryā-vratakī dīkṣāṃ le mṛgāṇāṃ mukhata ucciṣṭa-bhūtāṃ ghāsaṃ prasannatā-pūrvakaṃ tair eva sārdhaṃ sthitvā bhakṣayati, sa mṛtyoḥ paścād amarāvatī-purīṃ gacchati. śaivālaṃ śīrṇa-parṇaṃ vā tad-vratī yo niṣevate, śīta-yoga-vahaḥ nityaṃ sa gacchet paramāṃ gatim.
Maheśvara said: Whoever undertakes the initiation into the vow of living like the deer and, dwelling contentedly among them, gladly eats the grass left over from their mouths, goes after death to Amarāvatī, the celestial city. Likewise, the vow-observing ascetic who subsists on algae or on withered, fallen leaves, and who daily endures the hardship of cold, attains the highest state.
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that rigorous, contented, non-violent ascetic observances—living simply among animals, eating minimal forest fare like algae or fallen leaves, and patiently enduring cold—generate great religious merit leading to exalted posthumous destinations, even the ‘highest state’.
Śrīmaheśvara is describing specific forest-vows and their fruits: one who takes the ‘deer-like’ vow and eats grass remnants among deer is said to reach Amarāvatī after death; similarly, a vow-holder living on algae or withered leaves and enduring daily cold attains the supreme goal.