grÄ«á¹£me tapyeta pañcÄgnÄ«n
vará¹£Äsv ÄsÄra-á¹£ÄḠjale
Äkaṇtha-magnaḥ Å›iÅ›ira
evaá¹ vá¹›ttas tapaÅ› caret
grÄ«á¹£me - in the summer; tapyeta - one should accept as austerity; pañca-agnÄ«n - five fires (the overhead sun and fires burning on four sides); vará¹£Äsu - during the rainy season; ÄsÄra - torrents of rain; á¹£Äá¹ - tolerating; jale - in water; Ä-kaṇá¹ha - up to the neck; magnaḥ - submerged; Å›iÅ›ire - in the coldest part of winter; evam - thus; vá¹›ttaḥ - engaged; tapaḥ - penance; caret - one should execute.
Thus engaged as a vÄnaprastha, one should execute penance during the hottest summer days by subjecting oneself to burning fires on four sides and the blazing sun overhead; during the rainy season one should remain outside, subjecting oneself to torrents of rain; and in the freezing winter one should remain submerged in water up to one’s neck.
One who engages in sense gratification must perform severe penances at the end of life to counteract his sinful, hedonistic activities. A devotee of the Lord, however, naturally develops Kṛṣṇa consciousness and need not subject himself to such radical penances. As stated in the PañcarÄtra:
ÄrÄdhito yadi haris tapasÄ tataḥ kiá¹
nÄrÄdhito yadi haris tapasÄ tataḥ kim
antar bahir yadi haris tapasÄ tataḥ kiá¹
nÄntar bahir yadi haris tapasÄ tataḥ kim
“If one is worshiping the Lord properly, what is the use of severe penances? And if one is not properly worshiping the Lord, what is the use of severe penances? If ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa is realized within and without everything that exists, what is the use of severe penances? And if ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa is not seen within and without everything, then what is the use of severe penances?â€
