FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.18.9

एवं चीर्णेन तपसा मुनिर्धमनिसन्तत: । मां तपोमयमाराध्य ऋषिलोकादुपैति माम् ॥ ९ ॥
evaṁ cīrṇena tapasā
[evam cheernena tapasaa]
munir dhamani-santataḥ
[munir dhamani-santatah]
māṁ tapo-mayam ārādhya
[maam tapo-mayam aaraadhya]
ṛṣi-lokād upaiti mām
[rishi-lokaad upaiti maam]
Word-for-word
evam — thus cīrṇena — by the practice tapasā — of austerity muniḥ — the saintly vānaprastha dhamani-santataḥ — emaciated so much that the veins are visible throughout his body mām — Me tapaḥ-mayam — the goal of all penance ārādhya — worshiping rṣi-lokāt — beyond Maharloka upaiti — achieves mām — Me.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
evaṁ cīrṇena tapasā
evam
thus
cīrṇena
by the practice
tapasā
of austerity
munir dhamani-santataḥ
muniḥ
the saintly vānaprastha
dhamani-santataḥ
emaciated so much that the veins are visible throughout his body
māṁ tapo-mayam ārādhya
mām
Me
tapaḥ-mayam
the goal of all penance
ārādhya
worshiping
ṛṣi-lokād upaiti mām
rṣi-lokāt
beyond Maharloka
upaiti
achieves
mām
Me.
The saintly vānaprastha, practicing severe penances and accepting only the bare necessities of life, becomes so emaciated that he appears to be mere skin and bones. Thus worshiping Me through severe penances, he goes to the Maharloka planet and then directly achieves Me.
Purport

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.

One achieves Maharloka, or Ṛṣiloka, through strict observance of positive and negative regulations. However, without developing a taste for chanting and hearing the glories of the Lord ( śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ ), it is not possible to achieve the perfect liberation of going back home, back to Godhead. Therefore, on the Maharloka planet the unsuccessful sage gives more attention to chanting and hearing, and thus he gradually develops pure love of Godhead.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The vānaprastha, practicing severe penances, becomes so emaciated that he appears to be mere skin and bones. Thus worshiping me who am penance personified, he goes to Maharloka and eventually attains liberation. Having attained Maharloka (ṛṣi-lokāt), he eventually attains liberation (mām upaiti).
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The vānaprastha emaciates through severe penance, worshiping the Lord, attaining Maharloka and then directly Him. Austerity has a clear destination.
Reflection Questions
  • What does 'severe penance' mean for someone in my situation realistically?
  • What lesser version of it could I practice?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 18