Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 59

The Song of the Avantī Brāhmaṇa (Avanti-brāhmaṇa-gītā): Mind as the Root of Suffering and Equanimity Amid Insult

Devanagari script

सुखदु:खप्रदो नान्य: पुरुषस्यात्मविभ्रम: । मित्रोदासीनरिपव: संसारस्तमस: कृत: ॥ ५९ ॥

Transliteration

sukha-duḥkha-prado nānyaḥ puruṣasyātma-vibhramaḥ mitrodāsīna-ripavaḥ saṁsāras tamasaḥ kṛtaḥ

Translation

Keine andere Macht als die eigene Verwirrung des Geistes lässt die Seele Glück und Leid erfahren. Die Einteilung in Freunde, Neutrale und Feinde und das darauf errichtete materielle Leben sind aus Unwissenheit geschaffen.

Synonyms

• sukha-duḥkha-pradaḥ: giving pleasure and pain
• sukha-duḥkha-pradaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier of ātma-vibhramaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक) + duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: ‘giver of pleasure and pain’

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, negation particle

• anyaḥ: another (one)
• anyaḥ: Pradhāna-viśeṣya (predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• puruṣasya: of a person
• puruṣasya: Sambandha (possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• ātma-vibhramaḥ: self-delusion
• ātma-vibhramaḥ: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + vibhrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: ‘delusion/confusion regarding the self’

• mitra-udāsīna-ripavaḥ: friends, neutrals, and enemies
• mitra-udāsīna-ripavaḥ: Karta (subject, appositional)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mitra (प्रातिपदिक) + udāsīna (प्रातिपदिक) + ripu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; dvandva: ‘friends, neutrals, and enemies’

• saṁsāraḥ: worldly existence
• saṁsāraḥ: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṁsāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• tamasaḥ: of ignorance/darkness
• tamasaḥ: Sambandha (genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• kṛtaḥ: made/created
• kṛtaḥ: Pradhāna-viśeṣaṇa (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: Kṛdanta (past passive participle), Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ‘made/produced’

Purport

Everyone is working hard to please their friends, defeat their enemies and maintain the status quo with neutral parties. These relations are certainly based on the material body and do not exist beyond the body’s inevitable demise. They are called ignorance, or material illusion.

Characters & Entities

• Dattātreya
• Yadu

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the cause of happiness and distress?

This verse says happiness and distress are not truly caused by others; they arise from one’s own ātmā-vibhrama—misidentifying the self and seeing life through ignorance.

Why did Dattatreya (the Avadhūta) say this to King Yadu?

Yadu approached the Avadhūta to learn the secret of his peace and freedom; Dattātreya teaches that bondage is created by ignorance and dualistic labels like friend and enemy.

How can I apply this teaching in modern life?

Reduce reactive blame and hostility by checking the ego’s stories (“friend/enemy”), cultivate self-awareness, and anchor the mind in devotion and spiritual identity rather than temporary social roles.