Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 49
The Song of the Avantī Brāhmaṇa (Avanti-brāhmaṇa-gītā): Mind as the Root of Suffering and Equanimity Amid Insult
देहं मनोमात्रमिमं गृहीत्वा ममाहमित्यन्धधियो मनुष्या: । एषोऽहमन्योऽयमिति भ्रमेण दुरन्तपारे तमसि भ्रमन्ति ॥ ४९ ॥
dehaṁ mano-mātram imaṁ gṛhītvā mamāham ity andha-dhiyo manuṣyāḥ eṣo ’ham anyo ’yam iti bhrameṇa duranta-pāre tamasi bhramanti
Persons who identify with this body, which is simply the product of the material mind, are blinded in their intelligence, thinking in terms of “I” and “mine.” Because of their illusion of “this is I, but that is someone else,” they wander in endless darkness.
FAQs
This verse says that when a person accepts the body as the self, one becomes trapped in the notions of “I” and “mine,” and then wanders in the darkness of ignorance, unable to easily reach the far shore of liberation.
Dattātreya instructed Yadu to expose the root of bondage: the delusion that the self is the body and that others are separate. By diagnosing this भ्रम (mistaken identity), he guides the king toward detachment and spiritual realization.
Regularly observe thoughts of possessiveness and self-importance, remember the soul’s identity beyond the body, and align daily actions with devotion and selfless duty—reducing अहंकार and increasing clarity and compassion.