Shloka 6
मानसो ऽपि द्विजश्रेष्ठ तापो भवति नैकधा इत्य् एवमादिभिर् भेदैस् तापो ह्य् आध्यात्मिकः स्मृतः
mānaso 'pi dvijaśreṣṭha tāpo bhavati naikadhā ity evamādibhir bhedais tāpo hy ādhyātmikaḥ smṛtaḥ
O best of the twice-born, mental suffering too arises in many forms; by such distinctions it is remembered as the ādhyātmika affliction, the misery pertaining to one’s own self.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Classification of duḥkha/tāpa (ādhyātmika etc.) as part of the teaching on saṃsāra and release
Teaching: Philosophical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Mental anguish has many modalities and is classed as ādhyātmika—suffering rooted in one’s own psycho-physical constitution.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Notice and name inner afflictions (anxiety, grief, agitation) as ādhyātmika to cultivate viveka and reduce identification with them.
Vishishtadvaita: Duḥkha is experienced in the jīva’s embodied condition (prakāra), while the Lord remains the inner ruler distinct from the jīva’s changing states.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It identifies suffering that originates within oneself—especially the mind’s many disturbances—so the seeker can discern the inner roots of bondage and seek release through right knowledge and devotion.
He states that mental affliction is ‘not of one kind’ but manifold, and that these many subtypes collectively fall under the category of ādhyātmika (internal) misery.
By mapping suffering and its sources, the text prepares the ground for turning toward Vishnu as the supreme refuge and ordering principle—through whom ignorance and inner turmoil are ultimately transcended.