Devanagari
ब्रह्मचर्यं तप: शौचं सन्तोषो भूतसौहृदम् ।
गृहस्थस्याप्यृतौ गन्तु: सर्वेषां मदुपासनम् ॥ ४३ ॥
Verse text
brahmacaryaṁ tapaḥ śaucaṁ
santoṣo bhūta-sauhṛdam
gṛhasthasyāpy ṛtau gantuḥ
sarveṣāṁ mad-upāsanam
Synonyms
brahma
—
caryam — celibacy
;
tapaḥ
—
austerity
;
śaucam
—
purity of mind without attachment or repulsion
;
santoṣaḥ
—
full satisfaction
;
bhūta
—
toward all living entities
;
sauhṛdam
—
friendship
;
gṛhasthasya
—
of the householder
;
api
—
also
;
ṛtau
—
at the proper time
;
gantuḥ
—
approaching his wife
;
sarveṣām
—
of all human beings
;
mat
—
of Me
;
upāsanam
—
worship .
Translation
A householder may approach his wife for sex only at the time prescribed for begetting children. Otherwise, the householder should practice celibacy, austerity, cleanliness of mind and body, satisfaction in his natural position, and friendship toward all living entities. Worship of Me is to be practiced by all human beings, regardless of social or occupational divisions.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
As well, the householder may approach his wife for sex only at the time prescribed for begetting children. Otherwise, the householder should practice celibacy, austerity, cleanliness of mind and body, satisfaction, and friendship toward all living entities. Worship of me is to be practiced by all human beings, regardless of social or occupational divisions.
Other duties of the householder are pointed out. Śaucam includes absence of attachment and other negative qualities. The method of the householder’s brahmacarya is described: he should approach his wife while she is fertile. However, everyone must worship me since I give life to all of varṇas and āśramas. Without that worship all varṇas and āśramas are useless. It is said:
mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ puruṣasyāśramaiḥ saha
catvāro jajṣire varṇā guṇair viprādayaḥ pṛthak
Each of the four social orders, headed by the brāhmaṇas, was born through different combinations of the modes of nature, from the face, arms, thighs and feet of the Supreme Lord in his universal form, along with the āśramas.
ya eṣāṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād ātma-prabhavam īśvaram
na bhajanty avajānanti sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ
If any of the members of the four varṇas and four āśramas fail to worship or disrespect the Lord, who is the source of their own creation, they will fall down from their āśrama. SB 11.5.3-4
Purport
Sarveṣāṁ mad-upāsanam
indicates that all followers of the
varṇāśrama
system must worship Lord Kṛṣṇa or risk falling down from their position. As stated in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
(11.5.3)
,
na bhajanty avajānanti sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ:
even though one may be advanced in the performance of Vedic rituals and customs, without worshiping the Supreme Lord one will certainly fall down.
Those in the householder
āśrama
are not authorized to enjoy life like pigs and dogs, freely exercising their sexual potency. A religious householder should approach his wife at the prescribed time and place and beget a saintly child for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord. Otherwise, it is specifically mentioned here that a householder must practice celibacy along with all of the other members of advanced human civilization. The word
śaucam
indicates cleanliness of mind and body, or else freedom from attachment and repulsion. One who faithfully worships God as the supreme controller experiences
santoṣa,
full satisfaction in whatever situation the Lord arranges. By seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa within everyone, one becomes
bhūta-suhṛt,
the well-wishing friend of all.