Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 3
Avadhūta’s Further Teachers: Detachment, Solitude, One-Pointed Meditation, and the Lord as Āśraya
न मे मानापमानौ स्तो न चिन्ता गेहपुत्रिणाम् । आत्मक्रीड आत्मरतिर्विचरामीह बालवत् ॥ ३ ॥
na me mānāpamānau sto na cintā geha-putriṇām ātma-krīḍa ātma-ratir vicarāmīha bāla-vat
In family life, the parents are always in anxiety about their home, children and reputation. But I have nothing to do with these things. I do not worry at all about any family, and I do not care about honor and dishonor. I enjoy only the life of the soul, and I find love on the spiritual platform. Thus I wander the earth like a child.
FAQs
This verse teaches that a spiritually realized person remains steady amid respect and insult, because their happiness is rooted in the Self rather than social approval.
King Yadu questioned the Avadhūta’s carefree wandering; the Avadhūta explains that freedom from worldly anxiety and dependence on external validation comes from inner realization.
Reduce identity based on praise/blame, simplify unnecessary obligations, and cultivate daily inner practice (japa, meditation, śravaṇa) so contentment comes from within, not from status.