Devanagari
गृहाश्रमो जघनतो ब्रह्मचर्यं हृदो मम ।
वक्ष:स्थलाद्वनेवास: संन्यास: शिरसि स्थित: ॥ १४ ॥
Verse text
gṛhāśramo jaghanato
brahmacaryaṁ hṛdo mama
vakṣaḥ-sthalād vane-vāsaḥ
sannyāsaḥ śirasi sthitaḥ
Synonyms
gṛha
—
āśramaḥ — married life
;
jaghanataḥ
—
from the loins
;
brahmacaryam
—
celibate student life
;
hṛdaḥ
—
from the heart
;
mama
—
My
;
vakṣaḥ
—
sthalāt — from the chest
;
vane
—
in the forest
;
vāsaḥ
—
dwelling
;
sannyāsaḥ
—
the renounced order of life
;
śirasi
—
in the head
;
sthitaḥ
—
situated .
Translation
The married order of life appeared from the loins of My universal form, and the celibate students came from My heart. The forest-dwelling retired order of life appeared from My chest, and the renounced order of life was situated within the head of My universal form.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The married order of life appeared from the loins of my universal form, and the celibate students came from my heart. The forest-dwelling retired order of life appeared from my chest, and the renounced order of life was situated within the head.
The heart is below the chest.
Purport
There are two classes of
brahmacārī
life. The
naiṣṭhiki-brahmacārī
remains celibate throughout life, whereas the
upakurvāṇa-brahmacārī
marries upon finishing his student life. One who remains perpetually celibate is situated within the heart of Lord Kṛṣṇa, but those
brahmacārīs
who eventually marry are situated within the loins of the universal form of the Lord. The word
vane-vāsaḥ
refers to
vānaprastha,
or the retired order of life, which is situated on the chest of the Lord.