गोविन्द भाष्य (श्रील बलदेव विद्याभूषण - अचिन्त्यभेदाभेद वेदान्त ब्रह्मसूत्र भाष्य सटीक)

"Religious life has three branches. The first branch is yajña, Vedic study, and charity. The second branch is austerity. The third branch is living as a brahmacārī in the home of the spiritual master. By staying as a brahmacārī in the home of the spiritual master, everyone becomes saintly and pious. However, only he who takes shelter of the Supreme Lord becomes immortal." In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (4.4.22) it is said: etam eva viditvā munir bhavaty etam eva pravrājino lokam abhīpsantaḥ pravrajanti "One who understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes wise. Desiring to travel to His transcendental world, the brāhmaṇas become wandering sannyāsīs." In this way it is seen that the scriptures teach that the wandering sannyāsīs, the naiṣṭhika-brahmacārīs, and the followers of the other āśramas, all can attain liberation. This is described in this sūtra by the words, "itareṣām apy upadeśāt". The word "itareṣām is in the plural because the duties of the different āśramas are very many. The four āśramas are described in the following words of the Jābāla Upaniṣad: brahmacaryaṁ samāpya gṛhī bhavet. gṛhī bhūtvā vanī bhavet. vanī bhutvā pravrajet. yadi vetarathā brahmacaryād eva pravrajed gṛhād vā vanād vā. atha punar avratī vā vratī snātako vāsnatako votsannāgnir anagniko vā yad ahar eva virajyet tad ahar eva pravrajet. "When one completes his studies as a brahmacārī, a man should become a gṛhastha. After he has been a gṛhastha he may become a vānaprastha. After he has been a vānaprastha he may become a wandering sannyāsī. Or, leaving brahmacārī life he may at once become a wandering sannyāsī. Or, leaving gṛhastha life he may directly become a sannyāsī. Or, leaving vānaprastha life he may become a sannyāsī. They who have followed vows or not followed vows, become a snātaka or not become a snātaka, carefully kept the sacred fire, or not kept In the Jābāla Upaniṣad passage beginning with the words “paramahaṁsānām", the nirapekṣa devotees are specifically described. When the gṛhasthas are singled out it is because the duties of the other āśramas are all contained in the gṛhastha- āśrama. Still, the Upaniṣad clearly says, "On the day one turns with distaste from the world, on that day one should become a wandering sannyāsī." This means that when one sincerely renounces the world one should at once accept sannyāsa. In this way the idea that the gṛhastha-āśrama is the only proper āśrama is refuted. Whether one still has material desires or one has lost all taste for material things determines whether one should accept the gṛhastha-āśrama or the sannyāsa- āśrama. Still, when a person has peacefulness, self-control, tolerance, and other