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
अशा प्रकारे वानप्रस्थवृत्तीने राहून, ग्रीष्मात चारही बाजूंनी अग्नी व वर सूर्य यांच्या तापात पञ्चाग्नि तप करावे; पावसाळ्यात बाहेर राहून मुसळधार पाऊस सहन करावा; आणि हिवाळ्यात गळ्यापर्यंत पाण्यात बुडून तप करावे.
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.