Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 46
The Song of the Avantī Brāhmaṇa (Avanti-brāhmaṇa-gītā): Mind as the Root of Suffering and Equanimity Amid Insult
समाहितं यस्य मन: प्रशान्तं दानादिभि: किं वद तस्य कृत्यम् । असंयतं यस्य मनो विनश्यद् दानादिभिश्चेदपरं किमेभि: ॥ ४६ ॥
samāhitaṁ yasya manaḥ praśāntaṁ dānādibhiḥ kiṁ vada tasya kṛtyam asaṁyataṁ yasya mano vinaśyad dānādibhiś ced aparaṁ kim ebhiḥ
Wenn der Geist eines Menschen vollkommen gesammelt und befriedet ist, sag mir: wozu braucht er rituelle Wohltätigkeit und andere fromme Handlungen? Und wenn sein Geist ungezähmt bleibt und in Unwissenheit zugrunde geht, welchen Nutzen haben solche Beschäftigungen für ihn?
FAQs
This verse teaches that charity and similar pious acts cannot grant the highest benefit if the mind remains uncontrolled; inner steadiness and peace are essential for real spiritual progress.
In the Bhagavatam’s teachings on renunciation and devotion, Shukadeva highlights that the root of bondage is the restless mind; when the mind is pacified and fixed properly, external duties become secondary.
Do good deeds, but prioritize daily mind-training—sadhana, prayer, japa, and self-discipline—so that charity is guided by purity rather than ego, impulse, or distraction.