SB 7.12.16

Devanāgarī

एवं विधो ब्रह्मचारी वानप्रस्थो यतिर्गृही । चरन्विदितविज्ञान: परं ब्रह्माधिगच्छति ॥ १६ ॥

Text

evaṁ vidho brahmacārī vānaprastho yatir gṛhī caran vidita-vijñānaḥ paraṁ brahmādhigacchati

Synonyms

evamvidhaḥ—in this way;brahmacārī—whether one is abrahmacārī;vānaprasthaḥ—or one is in thevānaprastha-āśrama;yatiḥ—or in thesannyāsa-āśrama;gṛhī—or in thegṛhastha-āśrama;caran—by practice of self-realization and understanding of the Absolute Truth;vidita-vijñānaḥ—fully conversant with the science of the Absolute Truth;param—the Supreme;brahma—the Absolute Truth;adhigacchati—one can understand.

Translation

By practicing in this way, whether one be in the brahmacārī-āśrama, gṛhastha-āśrama, vānaprastha-āśrama or sannyāsa-āśrama, one must always realize the all-pervading presence of the Supreme Lord, for in this way it is possible to understand the Absolute Truth.

Purport

This is the beginning of self-realization. One must first understand how Brahman is present everywhere and how He is acting. This education is called brahma-jijñāsā and is the real concern of human life. Without such knowledge, one cannot claim to be a human being; rather, he remains in the animal kingdom. As it is said, sa eva go-kharaḥ: without such knowledge, one is no better than a cow or an ass.

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