Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 22
Avadhūta’s Further Teachers: Detachment, Solitude, One-Pointed Meditation, and the Lord as Āśraya
यत्र यत्र मनो देही धारयेत् सकलं धिया । स्नेहाद् द्वेषाद् भयाद् वापि याति तत्तत्स्वरूपताम् ॥ २२ ॥
yatra yatra mano dehī dhārayet sakalaṁ dhiyā snehād dveṣād bhayād vāpi yāti tat-tat-svarūpatām
إذا ثبّتت النفس المتجسّدة عقلها وذهنها بتركيز تام على هيئةٍ بعينها—بدافع المحبة أو البغض أو الخوف—فإنها لا محالة تنال تلك الهيئة. فما يداوم المرء على تأمّله يصير إليه.
From this verse it is not hard to understand that if one constantly meditates upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one will achieve a spiritual body just like that of the Lord. The word dhiyā, “with intelligence,” indicates complete intellectual conviction in a particular understanding, and similarly the word sakalam indicates one-pointed attention of the mind. With such complete absorption of consciousness, surely one will attain in the next life a form exactly like that upon which one was meditating. This is another example learned from the insect kingdom, as explained in the following verse.
FAQs
This verse teaches that the mind takes on the nature of whatever it intensely contemplates; sustained absorption—whether through love, hate, or fear—shapes one’s consciousness accordingly.
King Yadu inquired about the Avadhūta’s wisdom, and Dattātreya explained how inner absorption determines spiritual outcome, highlighting why directing the mind toward the Supreme is essential.
Since attention molds character, deliberately train the mind through japa, kīrtana, and remembrance of the Lord, and reduce obsessive focus on fear, resentment, or unhealthy attachments.