अयं वा व खल्वस्य प्रतिविधिर्भूतात्मनो यद्येव विद्याधिगमस्य धर्मस्यानुचरणं स्वाश्रमेष्वानुक्रमणं स्वधर्म एव सर्वं धत्ते स्तम्भशाखेवेतराण्यनेनोर्ध्वभाग्भवत्यन्यथधः पतत्येष स्वधर्माभिभूतो यो वेदेषु न स्वधर्मातिक्रमेणाश्रमी भवत्याश्रमेष्वेवावस्थितस्तपस्वी चेत्युच्यत एतदप्युक्तं नातपस्कस्यात्मध्यानेऽधिगमः कर्मशुद्धिर्वेत्येवं ह्याह ॥तपसा प्राप्यते सत्त्वं सत्त्वात्सम्प्राप्यते मनः ।मनसा प्राप्यते त्वात्मा ह्यात्मापत्त्या निवर्तत इति ॥४.३ ॥
In plain words
Now this indeed is the remedy for the elemental self: the acquiring of knowledge and the following of what is right, the going through of the stages of life in due order. One's own duty holds everything, as the trunk holds the branches. By it a man goes upward; otherwise he falls down. He is subject to his own duty who is spoken of in the Vedas: no man is truly in a stage of life who transgresses his own duty. Only one who abides in the stages of life is called an ascetic. And this too has been said: without austerity there is no attaining to meditation on the Self, nor purity of works. So it is said: "By austerity goodness is won; from goodness the mind is won; by the mind the Self is won; and having reached the Self, one turns back no more."