चरन्विदितविज्ञानः परं ब्रह्माधिगच्छति ॥१६॥
evaṁ vidho brahmacārī
vānaprastho yatir gṛhī
caran vidita-vijñānaḥ
paraṁ brahmādhigacchati
evam vidhaḥ - in this way; brahmacārī - whether one is a brahmacārī; vānaprasthaḥ - or one is in the vānaprastha-āśrama; yatiḥ - or in the sannyāsa-āśrama; gṛhī - or in the gṛhastha-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.
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.
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.
