Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 26

Chapter 19

Devanagari script

यदर्पितं तद्विकल्पे इन्द्रियैः परिधावति ।

रजस्-वलं चासन्-निष्ठं चित्तं विद्धि विपर्ययम् ॥

Transliteration

yad arpitaṃ tad vikalpe indriyaiḥ paridhāvati / rajas-valaṃ cāsan-niṣṭhaṃ cittaṃ viddhi viparyayam //

Translation

Mais lorsque le mental n’est pas réellement offert (au Soi/au Seigneur), il court après les objets par les sens, est dominé par la passion (rajas), s’appuie sur l’irréel; sache que c’est l’état inversé de la conscience.

Synonyms

• yat: that which
• yat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; relative pronoun

• arpitam: offered
• arpitam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: arp (अर्प् धातु) + -ta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘offered/placed’

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• vikalpe: in (mental) alternatives / imagination
• vikalpe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vikalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; locative ‘in imagination/alternation’

• indriyaiḥ: by the senses
• indriyaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; instrumental

• paridhāvati: runs about / ranges
• paridhāvati: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√dhāv (धाव् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• rajaḥ-valam: tainted by rajas
• rajaḥ-valam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rajas (प्रातिपदिक) + vala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (रजसा वलम्/रजः-युक्तम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; qualifying ‘citta’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• asan-niṣṭham: fixed in the unreal
• asan-niṣṭham: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: asan (प्रातिपदिक) + niṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (असति निष्ठा यस्य/असन्-निष्ठ), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; qualifying ‘citta’

• cittam: the mind
• cittam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• viddhi: know (you)
• viddhi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (विद् धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• viparyayam: as error / perversion
• viparyayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viparyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; predicate accusative with ‘viddhi’

Purport

After stating the result of a mind settled in sattva, the Lord contrasts the opposite state. When the mind is not ‘arpita’—not surrendered and anchored in spiritual reality—it lives in vikalpa, the realm of restless imagining, doubts, and fragmented options. Then the senses drag the mind outward; instead of the person directing the senses, the senses direct the person. Such a mind is rajas-vala—overpowered by rajas, the mode of passion, producing agitation, craving, competition, and dissatisfaction. It becomes asan-niṣṭha, established in ‘asat’ (the temporary and unreal): bodily identity, fleeting pleasures, and unstable narratives of the ego. This is called viparyaya, a reversal—mistaking the non-self for the self, and seeking permanence in impermanent things. The verse is diagnostic: it helps a practitioner recognize symptoms of misalignment (sense-chasing, agitation, fantasy, and attachment to the temporary) and return to the remedy taught just prior—offering the mind inward through devotion, disciplined living, and truth-oriented contemplation.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Uddhava

FAQs

What is ‘viparyaya’ in Srimad Bhagavatam and how does it affect the mind?

Viparyaya is inverted understanding—taking the temporary as real and the non-self as self—which makes the mind chase senses and remain agitated in passion.

Why does the Bhagavatam link sense-chasing with rajas (passion)?

Because rajas drives outward craving and restlessness; when the mind is not anchored in the Self/Lord, the senses pull it into constant pursuit of objects.

Practical application: what should I do when my mind ‘runs after the senses’?

Reduce triggers, regulate habits (sleep, food, media), and actively re-anchor the mind through japa, kīrtana, and hearing—so the mind shifts from rajas to sattva and steadiness.