Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 39
Varṣā-Śarad Vṛndāvana-Śobha: The Beauty of the Rainy and Autumn Seasons in Vraja
शनै: शनैर्जहु: पङ्कं स्थलान्यामं च वीरुध: । यथाहंममतां धीरा: शरीरादिष्वनात्मसु ॥ ३९ ॥
śanaiḥ śanair jahuḥ paṅkaṁ sthalāny āmaṁ ca vīrudhaḥ yathāhaṁ-mamatāṁ dhīrāḥ śarīrādiṣv anātmasu
Gradually the different areas of land gave up their muddy condition and the plants grew past their unripe stage, in the same way that sober sages give up egotism and possessiveness. These are based on things different from the real self, namely, the material body and its by-products.
The word ādiṣu in this verse indicates the by-products of the body, such as children, home and wealth.
FAQs
This verse says that wise persons gradually abandon the false ego and possessiveness (“I” and “mine”) toward the body and other non-self things, just as the earth and plants gradually shed mud, dampness, and unripe growth.
Śukadeva uses the changing seasons of Vṛndāvana as a devotional allegory: visible purification in nature mirrors inner purification in a sādhaka—detachment and clarity arising over time.
Practice gradual detachment: reduce identity based on body, status, and possessions; cultivate steady remembrance of the self and devotion through daily sādhana, letting ego and possessiveness fall away step by step.