Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 33
Avadhūta’s Teachers: Python, Ocean, Moth, Bee, Elephant, Deer, Fish—and Piṅgalā’s Song of Detachment
यदस्थिभिर्निर्मितवंशवंश्य- स्थूणं त्वचा रोमनखै: पिनद्धम् । क्षरन्नवद्वारमगारमेतद् विण्मूत्रपूर्णं मदुपैति कान्या ॥ ३३ ॥
yad asthibhir nirmita-vaṁśa-vaṁsya- sthūṇaṁ tvacā roma-nakhaiḥ pinaddham kṣaran-nava-dvāram agāram etad viṇ-mūtra-pūrṇaṁ mad upaiti kānyā
Dieser materielle Körper ist wie ein Haus, in dem die Seele wohnt: Wirbelsäule, Rippen sowie Arm- und Beinknochen sind seine Balken und Pfeiler; bedeckt ist er mit Haut, Haaren und Nägeln; aus seinen neun Türen fließen ständig Unreinheiten, und innen ist er voller Kot und Urin. Außer mir, welche Frau wäre so töricht, sich diesem Körper hinzugeben, in der Hoffnung, in diesem Gebilde Liebe und Freude zu finden?
The nine doors leading into and out of the body are the two eyes, the two nostrils, the mouth, the two ears, the genitals and the anus. Vaṁśa, or “spine,” also means “bamboo,” and indeed the skeleton appears to resemble a bamboo construction. Just as bamboo can be immediately burned to ashes or chopped into pieces, similarly, the material body, which is constantly deteriorating, may at any moment be crushed into powder, cut into pieces, drowned, burned, suffocated, and so on. Eventually the body must disintegrate, and therefore there is certainly no one as unfortunate as one who has dedicated himself heart and soul to this flimsy body, which is filled with unpleasant elements.
FAQs
This verse teaches vairāgya by describing the body as a leaking, impure ‘house’ made of bones and covered with skin—warning that infatuation with bodily beauty is delusion.
King Yadu inquired about the Avadhūta’s freedom and wisdom; the Avadhūta instructs him in renunciation and clear perception, exposing bodily attraction as ignorance that binds the soul.
Use it to reduce obsession and craving: respect the body as a tool for dharma and bhakti, but stop romanticizing it—redirect attention to character, service, and remembrance of the Lord.