Pratyakṣa–Āgama–Ācāra: Doubt, Proof, and the Practice of Dharma (प्रत्यक्ष–आगम–आचारविचारः)
आत्मानमुपजीवन दीक्षां द्वादशवार्षिकीम्
ātmānam upajīvan dīkṣāṃ dvādaśavārṣikīm
తననే ఆధారముగా జీవించుచు, ద్వాదశవర్షముల దీక్షావ్రతమును ఆచరించవలెను.
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
The verse underscores sustained self-discipline: one should rely on one’s own regulated life (ātma-niyama) and undertake a long, consecrated observance (dīkṣā) for purification and firmness in dharma.
Śrīmaheśvara is speaking, prescribing a specific ascetic-religious regimen: a twelve-year dīkṣā characterized by self-reliant subsistence and disciplined conduct, presented as a means to spiritual and ethical attainment.