Shloka 55
स त्वं विचक्ष्य मृगचेष्टितमात्मनोऽन्त- श्चित्तं नियच्छ हृदि कर्णधुनीं च चित्ते । जह्यङ्गनाश्रममसत्तमयूथगाथं प्रीणीहि हंसशरणं विरम क्रमेण ॥ ५५ ॥
sa tvaṁ vicakṣya mṛga-ceṣṭitam ātmano ’ntaś cittaṁ niyaccha hṛdi karṇa-dhunīṁ ca citte jahy aṅganāśramam asattama-yūtha-gāthaṁ prīṇīhi haṁsa-śaraṇaṁ virama krameṇa
My dear King, understand the deer’s allegory: restrain the mind within the heart, and do not let ear-pleasing sounds occupy your consciousness. Abandon lust-filled household life and the tales that nourish it, and, by the mercy of liberated souls like haṁsas, take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus, gradually give up your attraction to material existence.
In one of his songs, Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura writes:
FAQs
This verse advises fixing the mind by bringing into consciousness the purifying ‘stream through the ear’—absorbing oneself in hearing sacred teachings—so the restless mind becomes restrained and steadied.
Nārada instructs the king to turn from ritualistic, materially motivated life and sense attachment toward bhakti—seeking saintly association, regulating the mind, and gradually renouncing degrading worldly talk and company.
Reduce distracting media and gossip, prioritize daily hearing/reading of Bhagavatam or kīrtana, seek uplifting association, and make gradual lifestyle changes that weaken compulsive sense-driven habits.