Shloka 39
Varṣā-Śarad Vṛndāvana-Śobha: The Beauty of the Rainy and Autumn Seasons in Vraja
शनै: शनैर्जहु: पङ्कं स्थलान्यामं च वीरुध: । यथाहंममतां धीरा: शरीरादिष्वनात्मसु ॥ ३९ ॥
śanaiḥ śanair jahuḥ paṅkaṁ sthalāny āmaṁ ca vīrudhaḥ yathāhaṁ-mamatāṁ dhīrāḥ śarīrādiṣv anātmasu
Gradually the land shed its muddy state and the plants grew beyond their unripe stage; in the same way, sober sages abandon ego and possessiveness, which rest upon the body and other things that are not the true self.
The word ādiṣu in this verse indicates the by-products of the body, such as children, home and wealth.
FAQs
This verse says that wise persons gradually abandon the false ego and possessiveness (“I” and “mine”) toward the body and other non-self things, just as the earth and plants gradually shed mud, dampness, and unripe growth.
Śukadeva uses the changing seasons of Vṛndāvana as a devotional allegory: visible purification in nature mirrors inner purification in a sādhaka—detachment and clarity arising over time.
Practice gradual detachment: reduce identity based on body, status, and possessions; cultivate steady remembrance of the self and devotion through daily sādhana, letting ego and possessiveness fall away step by step.