FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.21.14

స్‍నానదానతపోఽవస్థావీర్యసంస్కారకర్మభి: । మత్స్మృత్యా చాత్మన: శౌచం శుద్ధ: కర్మాచరేద్‌ద్విజ: ॥ ౧౪ ॥
snāna-dāna-tapo-’vasthā-
[snaana-daana-tapo-’vasthaa-]
vīrya-saṁskāra-karmabhiḥ
[veerya-samskaara-karmabhih]
mat-smṛtyā cātmanaḥ śaucaṁ
[mat-smrityaa chaatmanah shaucham]
śuddhaḥ karmācared dvijaḥ
[shuddhah karmaachared dvijah]
snāna — by bathing dāna — charity tapaḥ — austerity avasthā — by virtue of one’s age vīrya — potency saṁskāra — execution of ritual purification karmabhiḥ — and prescribed duties mat-smṛtyā — by remembrance of Me ca — also ātmanaḥ — of the self śaucam — cleanliness śuddhaḥ — pure karma — activity ācaret — he should perform dvijaḥ — a twice-born man.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
snāna-dāna-tapo-’vasthā-
snāna
by bathing
dāna
charity
tapaḥ
austerity
avasthā
by virtue of one’s age
vīrya-saṁskāra-karmabhiḥ
vīrya
potency
saṁskāra
execution of ritual purification
karmabhiḥ
and prescribed duties
mat-smṛtyā cātmanaḥ śaucaṁ
mat-smṛtyā
by remembrance of Me
ca
also
ātmanaḥ
of the self
śaucam
cleanliness
śuddhaḥ karmācared dvijaḥ
śuddhaḥ
pure
karma
activity
ācaret
he should perform
dvijaḥ
a twice-born man.
The self can be cleansed by bathing, charity, austerity, age, personal strength, purificatory rituals, prescribed duties and, above all, by remembrance of Me. The brāhmaṇa and other twice-born men should be duly purified before performing their specific activities.

The word avasthā indicates that when boys and girls are young they are kept pure by youthful innocence and that as they grow up they are kept pure through proper education and engagement. By one’s individual potency one should avoid sinful activities and the association of those inclined toward sense gratification. The word karma here refers to prescribed duties, such as worshiping the spiritual master and the Deity, chanting the Gāyatrī mantra three times daily and accepting spiritual initiation. The prescribed duties of the varṇāśrama system automatically purify one from the covering of false ego by dovetailing one’s bodily designation in appropriate religious activities. There are specific duties for brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, brahmacārīs, gṛhasthas, vānaprasthas and sannyāsīs, as described previously in this canto by the Lord Himself. The most significant word here is mat-smṛtyā (“by remembrance of Me”). Ultimately, one cannot avoid the infection of illusion through any process except Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The three modes of nature perpetually interact, and one must sometimes fall into the mode of ignorance and sometimes rise to the mode of goodness, uselessly rotating within the kingdom of illusion. But by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, remembrance of the Personality of Godhead, one can actually uproot one’s tendency to act against the will of the Absolute Truth. Then one becomes freed from the clutches of māyā and goes back home, back to Godhead. As stated in the Garuḍa Purāṇa:

apavitraḥ pavitro vā sarvāvasthāṁ gato ’pi vā yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhyābhyantare śuciḥ

“Whether one is pure or contaminated, and regardless of one’s external situation, simply by remembering the lotus-eyed Personality of Godhead one can internally and externally cleanse one’s existence.”

Lord Caitanya recommended that we constantly remember the Supreme Lord by chanting His holy names, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. This sublime process is essential for every human actually desirous of purifying his existence.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The self can be cleansed by bathing, charity, austerity, age, conduct, purification rituals, prescribed duties and, above all, by remembrance of me. The brāhmaṇa and others should be duly purified before performing their specific activities. Purification of objects has been described. Now purification of the person who purifies objects is described. Purification of the performer with his bodily identity takes place by bathing, charity, austerity, old age (avasthā), conduct according to capability (vīrya), saṁskāras like upanayana, and rites such as sandhya worship. The aim is stated. A pure person performs his duties. The dvija is mentioned but this applies to śūdras as well.
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