Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 10
Ṛṣabhadeva Instructs His Sons: Tapasya, Mahātmā-Sevā, and Cutting the Heart-Knot
हंसे गुरौ मयि भक्त्यानुवृत्या वितृष्णया द्वन्द्वतितिक्षया च । सर्वत्र जन्तोर्व्यसनावगत्या जिज्ञासया तपसेहानिवृत्त्या ॥ १० ॥ मत्कर्मभिर्मत्कथया च नित्यं मद्देवसङ्गाद् गुणकीर्तनान्मे । निर्वैरसाम्योपशमेन पुत्रा जिहासया देहगेहात्मबुद्धे: ॥ ११ ॥ अध्यात्मयोगेन विविक्तसेवया प्राणेन्द्रियात्माभिजयेन सध्य्रक् । सच्छ्रद्धया ब्रह्मचर्येण शश्वद् असम्प्रमादेन यमेन वाचाम् ॥ १२ ॥ सर्वत्र मद्भावविचक्षणेन ज्ञानेन विज्ञानविराजितेन । योगेन धृत्युद्यमसत्त्वयुक्तो लिङ्गं व्यपोहेत्कुशलोऽहमाख्यम् ॥ १३ ॥
haṁse gurau mayi bhaktyānuvṛtyā vitṛṣṇayā dvandva-titikṣayā ca sarvatra jantor vyasanāvagatyā jijñāsayā tapasehā-nivṛttyā
Wahai anak-anak-Ku, berlindunglah pada guru rohani yang luhur seperti paramahaṁsa dan teguhkan iman serta cinta bhakti kepada-Ku—Vāsudeva. Bencilah kenikmatan indera, tahanlah dualiti suka-duka, sedari derita makhluk di mana-mana, selidiki kebenaran, dan lakukan tapa demi bhakti. Dengarlah kathā tentang-Ku, sentiasa bersama para bhakta, nyanyikan kemuliaan sifat-sifat-Ku, pandang semua dengan kesamarataan rohani, tinggalkan permusuhan, redakan marah dan dukacita, serta buang anggapan diri sebagai tubuh dan rumah. Pelajarilah śāstra, berkhidmat di tempat sunyi, kuasai prāṇa, indera dan minda; beriman teguh pada Veda, amalkan brahmacarya, sentiasa berjaga-jaga dan kendalikan ucapan. Dengan bhakti-yoga demikian, ilmu dan realisasi akan bersinar dan ego palsu akan tersingkir.
In these four verses, Ṛṣabhadeva tells His sons how they can be freed from the false identification arising from false ego and material conditional life. One gradually becomes liberated by practicing as mentioned above. All these prescribed methods enable one to give up the material body ( liṅgaṁ vyapohet ) and be situated in his original spiritual body. First of all one has to accept a bona fide spiritual master. This is advocated by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: śrī-guru-pādāśrayaḥ. To be freed from the entanglement of the material world, one has to approach a spiritual master. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet. By questioning the spiritual master and by serving him, one can advance in spiritual life. When one engages in devotional service, naturally the attraction for personal comfort — for eating, sleeping and dressing — is reduced. By associating with the devotee, a spiritual standard is maintained. The word mad-deva-saṅgāt is very important. There are many so-called religions devoted to the worship of various demigods, but here good association means association with one who simply accepts Kṛṣṇa as his worshipable Deity.