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
अशा प्रकारे कठोर तपाने कृश होऊन, केवळ अत्यल्प आवश्यकतांवर राहणारा वानप्रस्थ मुनि जणू त्वचा-हाडांचा दिसतो. या तपोमय आराधनेने तो महर्लोक (ऋषिलोक) प्राप्त करून अखेरीस मला साक्षात् प्राप्त होतो.
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.