SB 4.29.55

स त्वं विचक्ष्य मृगचेष्टितमात्मनोऽन्तश्
चित्तं नियच्छ हृदि कर्णधुनीं च चित्ते ।
जह्यङ्गनाश्रममसत्तमयूथगाथं
प्रीणीहि हंसशरणं विरम क्रमेण ॥५५॥

sa tvaṁ vicakṣya mṛga-ceṣṭitam ātmano ‘ntaś
cittaṁ niyaccha hṛdi karṇa-dhunīṁ ca citte
jahy aṅganāśramam asattama-yūtha-gāthaṁ
prīṇīhi haṁsa-śaraṇaṁ virama krameṇa

saḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsaḥ

mahat-tattva; a person (Kaṁsa); a son; Aghāsura; all; anyone; Bharata Mahārāja; Brahmā; child Parīkṣit; Dakṣa; Dhruva; Dhruva Mahārāja; Dhṛtarāṣṭra; Durvāsā Muni; he (Agastya); he (Aghāsura); he (Ajāmila); he (Ambarīṣa Mahārāja); he (Aṅgirā Ṛṣi); He (Baladeva); he (Bali Mahārāja); he (Brahmā); he (Brahmājī); he (Budha); he (Citraketu); he (Dakṣa); he (Devāpi); he (Dhruva Mahārāja); he (Dhruva); he (Droṇa); he (Durvāsā); he (Emperor Manu); he (Gajendra); he (Garuḍa); he (Hiraṇyakaśipu); he (Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the Daityas); he (Indra); he (Jamadagni); he (Janamejaya); he (Jaḍa Bharata); he (Kardama); he (Kaṁsa); he (King Citraketu); he (King Hūhū); he (King Indra); he (King Kaṁsa); he (King Nīpa); he (King Pṛthu); he (King Rantideva); he (King Āgnīdhra); he (Kārtavīryārjuna); He (Kṛṣṇa); He (Lakṣmaṇa, the brother of Lord Rāmacandra); he (Lord Brahmā); He (Lord Kṛṣṇa); He (Lord Rāmacandra); He (Lord Viṣṇu); he (Lord Śiva); he (Mahārāja Ambarīṣa); he (Mahārāja Bharata); he (Mahārāja Priyavrata); he (Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa); he (Maitreya Muni); he (Manu); he (my father); he (Nahuṣa); he (Nābhāga); he (one who is not self-controlled); he (Prahlāda Mahārāja); he (Purūravā); he (Rantideva); he (Sarvatejā); He (Satyasena); he (Soma, the moon-god); he (Svāyambhuva Manu); he (that hunter); he (that uncivilized Kaṁsa); he (the muni); he (the conditioned soul); he (the devotee); he (the great man); he (the individual soul); he (the King); he (the leader of the elephants); He (the Lord); He (the Personality of Godhead); he (the serpent); he (the sun-god); He (the Supreme Lord); He (the Supreme Person); He (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); he (Vasudeva); he (Vasudeva, also known as Ānakadundubhi); he (Venus); he (Vidura); he (Viśvarūpa); He (Vāmanadeva); he (Vāsudeva); he (Vīrabhadra); he (Vṛtra); he (Vṛtrāsura); he (Śukadeva Gosvāmī); he (Śukrācārya); he (Śūra); he (Ṛcīka); he (Ṛṣyaśṛṅga); he; He alone; he is; he, Durvāsā Muni; he, Hariścandra; he, Jamadagni; he, King Purūravā; he, Kārtavīryārjuna; he, Lord Paraśurāma; He, Lord Rāmacandra; he, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa; he, Mahārāja Sagara; he, Prahlāda Mahārāja; he, Purañjaya; he, Purūravā; he, Rohita; he, Rāvaṇa; he, Saubhari Muni; he, Saubhari Ṛṣi; he, so celebrated; he, Soma; he, the brāhmaṇa; he, the King; He, the Lord; he, Varuṇa; he, Vasiṣṭha; he, Vidura; He, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; Hiraṇyakaśipu; Hiraṇyākṣa; His Lordship; His Lordship the Supreme Personality of Godhead; his son Utkala; I am the same powerful person; is he; it; Jambhāsura; Kardama Muni; Kaśyapa; Kaśyapa Muni; King Dakṣa; King Indra; King Malayadhvaja; King Purañjana; King Pṛthu; King Vena; King Yayāti; Kṛṣṇa; Kṛṣṇa Himself; Lord Brahmā; Lord Kṛṣṇa; Lord Śiva; Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; Mahārāja Bharata; Mahārāja Ikṣvāku; Mahārāja Yayāti; Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira; myself; one such as your good self; one who does so; Prahlāda Mahārāja; Prajāpati Dakṣa; Revata; so myself; someone; such; such a devotee; such a person; such a person as I am; such a personality; Sudyumna; Svāyambhuva Manu; that (great demon Maya Dānava); that (having the above symptoms); that (Supreme Personality of Godhead); that (Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa); that brāhmaṇa; that yoga system; that; that Ajāmila; that arrow; that banyan tree; that boy of the name Vena; whether that person; which; You; Your Lordship; yourself.—that very person; tvamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtvam

establishment of the statement tat tvam asi.—you; vicakṣyaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvicakṣya

after observing; considering; having observed; observing; seeing.—considering; mṛgaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmṛga

animals; beasts; deer; hunting; the animals; wild beasts.-ceṣṭitamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigcestitam

about the glorious activities; activities; activity; attempt; being endeavored for; performance; the activities; the childish play; the dealings.—the activities of the deer; ātmanaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigatmanah

and one's own self; children; consisting of; done by himself; expansions; expansions of His person; for herself; for himself; for His personal benefit; for my personal self; for personal sense gratification; for personal service; for self-preservation; for the benefit of the soul; for the body; for the living entities; for the real self; for the self; for the soul; for themselves; from my body; from the self; from the Supreme Soul; her own; himself; His; his own; his own self; His personal; his personal interest; in the self; mind; My; my own; of all living entities; of herself; of Him; of himself (Lord Śiva); of himself; of himself, personally (the head of the state); of his body; of His own; of his own real identity, the soul; of his own self; of his own welfare; of his personal self; of his self; of his soul; of myself; of one's own; of one's own self; of one's self; of oneself; of self-realization; of the Absolute; of the body; of the conditioned soul; of the living being; of the living beings; of the living entities; of the living entity; of the mind; of the most dear; of the person; of the same category as You (viṣṇu-tattva); of the self; of the soul; of the spirit soul; of the Supersoul; of the Supersoul of everyone; of the Supreme; of the Supreme Being; of the Supreme Lord; of the Supreme Lord and of oneself; of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu; of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; of the Supreme Soul; of the supreme spirit soul or the Transcendence beyond the material conception of life; of the Supreme Spirit Soul, or the transcendence beyond the material conception of life; of the vital energy; of themselves; of us living beings; of you; of your own body; of your own body, mind and soul; of Yourself; of yourselves; on Transcendence; one's own; one's self; oneself; own; own selves; personal; self; self-caused; self-dependant; self-sufficiently; soul; than the Supreme Soul; the living entities; the mind; the senses; the soul; the soul or the Supersoul; the spiritual identity of the universe; the Supersoul of everyone; their minds; their own property; to himself (Kardama); unto His own (Brahmā); whose mind; whose minds; whose nature.—of the self; antaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigantah

a limit; conclusion; disappearance; end; in the core of the heart; in the heart; in the interior; in the transcendental world; inner; inside (the palace or home); inside; interior; internal; internally; internally or not manifested; limit; out of sight; the cause of dissolution; to the end; within; within herself; within his heart; within the cores of our hearts.—within; cittamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigcittam

consciousness; desire; heart; his consciousness; mental activities; mind; mind, consciousness; one's consciousness or mental condition; the consciousness; the core of the heart; the heart; the mind; the mind and its activities; whose mind.—consciousness; niyacchaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigniyaccha

fix; give up.—fix; hṛdiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bighṛdi

core of the heart; from the heart; heart; in consciousness or in the heart; in his heart; in my heart; in the core of the heart; in the heart; in the hearts; on the heart; the heart; upon the heart; within my heart; within one's heart; within the core of my heart; within the core of the heart; within the heart.—in the heart; karṇaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkarṇa

and to the ears; ear; ears; Karṇa; of the ear; on the ears; the ear; the ears; through the ears; to the ear.-dhunīmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdhunīm

aural reception.—aural reception; caplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigca

ca; all these; also; also other bodily forms; also that I have not been able to ask; and (the five gross material elements and the ten acting and knowledge-gathering senses); and; and also; and Devahūti; and for all; and the paraphernalia; as also; as much as; as well; as well as; but; certainly; either; however; indeed; only; or; over and above; respectively; the word ca; this word ca; thus; totally; unlimitedly; verily.—and; citteplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigcitte

consciousness; hearts; in my heart; in My mind; in the heart; in the mind; in the minds; in their hearts; in your heart; mind; unto the consciousness; within Himself; within His mind; within the core of the heart; within the heart; within the hearts; within the mind.—unto the consciousness; jahiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigjahi

become victorious; conquer; give up; just conquer; just give up; kill; please conquer; please kill; subdue it; wash out.—give up; aṅganāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigangana

courtyard; the courtyard.-āśramamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigāśramam

hermitage of Śamīka Ṛṣi; in shelter; orders of life; place of residence; the cottage; the hermitage; the order; to his own residence; to his residence; to the place of austerity; to the residence; to the residence of his father; to the residence of Jamadagni; to the shelter; your abode.—household life; asatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigasat

all temporary and bad; although long dead (and although no one knows that the soul has gone); bad; cause; effect; falls; illusory; impermanent; impermanent, transient; impudence; material happiness; materialistic; mischievous; nonbeing; nondevotee; nonmanifestation; nonpermanent; nonpermanent things; not real; noumenal; perishable; temporary; the cause; the effect; the foolish; unmanifested; unpalatable; unreal; untenable; useless; vicious; which are always prone to material consciousness; which is nonexistent, as the cause.-tamaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtama

mode of ignorance; supreme.—most abominable; yūthaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigyūtha

bereft of her husband.-gāthamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biggatham

history; poetic verses of glorification; story; the narration.—full of stories of man and woman; prīṇīhiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigprīṇīhi

just accept.—just accept; haṁsaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bighaṁsa

fully engaged in transcendental knowledge; Haṁsa; of a swan; of swans; swan; swans; the swan incarnation.-śaraṇamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsaranam

Sāraṇa.—the shelter of the liberated souls; viramaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvirama

become detached.—become detached; krameṇaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkrameṇa

gradually.—gradually. ¶

My dear King, just try to understand the allegorical position of the deer. Be fully conscious of yourself, and give up the pleasure of hearing about promotion to heavenly planets by fruitive activity. Give up household life, which is full of sex, as well as stories about such things, and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the mercy of the liberated souls. In this way, please give up your attraction for material existence. ¶

In one of his songs, Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura writes: ¶

karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa, kevala viṣera bhāṇḍa,
amṛta baliyā yebā khāya
nānā yoni sadā phire, kadarya bhakṣaṇa kare,
tāra janma adhaḥ-pāte yāya

“Fruitive activities and mental speculation are simply cups of poison. Whoever drinks of them, thinking them to be nectar, must struggle very hard, life after life, in different types of bodies. Such a person eats all kinds of nonsense and becomes condemned by his activities of so-called sense enjoyment.” ¶

People are generally enamored of the fruitive results of worldly activity and mental speculation. They generally desire to be promoted to heavenly planets, merge into the existence of Brahman, or keep themselves in the midst of family life, enchanted by the pleasures of the tongue and genitals. The great sage Nārada clearly instructs King Barhiṣmān not to remain his entire life in the gṛhastha-āśrama. Being in the gṛhastha-āśrama means being under the control of one’s wife. One has to give up all this and put himself into the āśrama of the paramahaṁsa, that is, put himself under the control of the spiritual master. The paramahaṁsa-āśrama is the āśrama of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, under whom the spiritual master has taken shelter. The symptoms of the bona fide spiritual master are stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3.21): ¶

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ
brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam

“Any person who is seriously desirous of achieving real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of a spiritual master is that he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberation and arguments and thus be able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken complete shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, are to be understood as bona fide spiritual masters.” ¶

A paramahaṁsa is one who has taken shelter of the Parabrahman, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one takes shelter of the paramahaṁsa spiritual master, gradually, through training and instruction, he will become detached from worldly life and ultimately return home, back to Godhead. The particular mention of aṅganāśramam asattama-yūtha-gātham is very interesting. The whole world is in the clutches of māyā, being controlled by woman. Not only is one controlled by the woman who is one’s wife, but one is also controlled by so many sex literatures. That is the cause of one’s being entangled in the material world. One cannot give up this abominable association through one’s own effort, but if one takes shelter of a bona fide spiritual master who is a paramahaṁsa, he will gradually be elevated to the platform of spiritual life. ¶

The pleasing words of the Vedas that inspire one to elevate oneself to the heavenly planets or merge into the existence of the Supreme are for the less intelligent who are described in Bhagavad-gītā as māyayāpahṛta jñānāḥ [Bg. 7.15]plugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigBhagavad-gītā As It Is 7.15

Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me. (those whose knowledge is taken away by the illusory energy). Real knowledge means understanding the miserable condition of material life. One should take shelter of a bona fide liberated soul, the spiritual master, and gradually elevate himself to the spiritual platform and thus become detached from the material world. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, haṁsa-śaraṇam refers to the cottage in which saintly persons live. Generally a saintly person lives in a remote place in the forest or in a humble cottage. However, we should note that the times have changed. It may be beneficial for a saintly person’s own interest to go to the forest and live in a cottage, but if one becomes a preacher, especially in Western countries, he has to invite many classes of men who are accustomed to living in comfortable apartments. Therefore in this age a saintly person has to make proper arrangements to receive people and attract them to the message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, perhaps for the first time, introduced motorcars and palatial buildings for the residence of saintly persons just to attract the general public in big cities. The main fact is that one has to associate with a saintly person. In this age people are not going to search out a saint in the forest, so the saints and sages have to come to the big cities to make arrangements to receive the people in general, who are accustomed to the modern amenities of material life. Gradually such persons will learn that palatial buildings or comfortable apartments are not at all necessary. The real necessity is to become free from material bondage in whatever way possible. According to the orders of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī: ¶

anāsaktasya viṣayān
yathārham upayuñjataḥ
nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe
yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate

“When one is not attached to anything, but at the same time accepts everything in relation to Kṛṣṇa, one is rightly situated above possessiveness.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.255) ¶

One should not be attached to material opulence, but material opulence may be accepted in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to facilitate the propagation of the movement. In other words, material opulence may be accepted as yukta-vairāgya, that is, for renunciation. ¶