Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 9
Vānaprastha-vidhi and Sannyāsa-dharma: Austerity, Detachment, and the Paramahaṁsa Ideal
एवं चीर्णेन तपसा मुनिर्धमनिसन्तत: । मां तपोमयमाराध्य ऋषिलोकादुपैति माम् ॥ ९ ॥
evaṁ cīrṇena tapasā munir dhamani-santataḥ māṁ tapo-mayam ārādhya ṛṣi-lokād upaiti mām
Ainsi, par de rudes austérités et en n’acceptant que le strict nécessaire, le saint vānaprastha s’amaigrit au point de n’être plus que peau et os. M’adorant par ce tápas, il atteint Maharloka (le monde des ṛṣis) puis, finalement, me rejoint directement.
A vānaprastha who develops pure devotional service achieves the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, while in the vānaprastha stage of life. One who does not become completely Kṛṣṇa conscious, however, first goes to the planet Maharloka, or Ṛṣiloka, and from there directly achieves Lord Kṛṣṇa.
FAQs
This verse says that when a sage performs steady, continuous tapasya and worships the Lord who is present as the very principle of penance (tapo-maya), he ultimately attains the Lord.
In the Uddhava-gītā section, Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava on the renounced orders of life and the disciplined practices that purify consciousness; here He explains how sustained austerity, offered as worship to Him, leads to final attainment.
Adopt consistent self-discipline—regulated habits, simplicity, restraint, and daily spiritual practice—and consciously offer that discipline to God as worship, rather than as mere self-improvement.