ग्रीष्मे तप्येत पञ्चाग्नीन् वर्षास्वासारषाड्जले । आकण्ठमग्न: शिशिर एवंवृत्तस्तपश्चरेत् ॥ ४ ॥
grīṣme tapyeta pañcāgnīn varṣāsv āsāra-ṣāḍ jale ākaṇtha-magnaḥ śiśira evaṁ vṛttas tapaś caret
- grīṣme
- in the summer
- tapyeta
- one should accept as austerity
- pañca-agnīn
- five fires (the overhead sun and fires burning on four sides)
- varṣāsu
- during the rainy season
- āsāra
- torrents of rain
- ṣāṭ
- tolerating
- jale
- in water
- ā-kaṇṭha
- up to the neck
- magnaḥ
- submerged
- śiśire
- in the coldest part of winter
- evam
- thus
- vṛttaḥ
- engaged
- tapaḥ
- penance
- caret
- one should execute
Thus engaged as a vānaprastha, 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.