Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 28
Nondual Vision Beyond Praise and Blame
Dvandva-nivṛtti and Ātma-viveka
यथामयोऽसाधुचिकित्सितो नृणां पुन: पुन: सन्तुदति प्ररोहन् । एवं मनोऽपक्वकषायकर्म कुयोगिनं विध्यति सर्वसङ्गम् ॥ २८ ॥
yathāmayo ’sādhu cikitsito nṛṇāṁ punaḥ punaḥ santudati prarohan evaṁ mano ’pakva-kaṣāya-karma kuyoginaṁ vidhyati sarva-saṅgam
كما أن المرض إذا عولِج علاجًا غير سديد عاد ينبت مرارًا ويؤلم المريض مرة بعد مرة، كذلك العقل الذي لم يتطهّر تمامًا من ميوله المنحرفة يبقى متعلّقًا بالماديات ويعذّب اليوغي غير الكامل تكرارًا.
Sarva-saṅgam refers to one’s stubborn attachment to material objects of so-called enjoyment, such as children, wife, money, nation and friends. One who increases his attachment to children, wife and so on, although supposedly performing devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, is understood to be either a kuyogī, as described in this verse, or a bewildered neophyte who has failed to properly treat the disease of the heart called material attachment. If one has repeated relapses into material attachment, he has failed to eradicate the darkness of ignorance from his heart.
FAQs
This verse compares relapse to a disease that returns when wrongly treated: if inner impurities and karmic residues are not purified, the mind repeatedly drags one back into attachment.
Śukadeva explains that without genuine purification and detachment, external yoga practice can fail—because the mind, still carrying latent passions, will continue to afflict the practitioner through renewed worldly attachments.
Treat spiritual growth like proper healing: address root habits and desires through steady discipline, honest self-examination, and sustained devotional or meditative practice—otherwise old attachments tend to return.