Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 38
Nārada’s Arrival, the Nine Yogendras, and the Foundations of Bhāgavata-dharma
अविद्यमानोऽप्यवभाति हि द्वयो ध्यातुर्धिया स्वप्नमनोरथौ यथा । तत् कर्मसङ्कल्पविकल्पकं मनो बुधो निरुन्ध्यादभयं तत: स्यात् ॥ ३८ ॥
avidyamāno ’py avabhāti hi dvayo dhyātur dhiyā svapna-manorathau yathā tat karma-saṅkalpa-vikalpakaṁ mano budho nirundhyād abhayaṁ tataḥ syāt
Bien que la dualité n’existe pas en vérité, elle apparaît à l’intelligence conditionnée du méditant, telle un rêve ou une chimère. Le sage doit maîtriser le mental qui choisit d’accepter ou de rejeter les actes; alors naît l’intrépidité réelle.
Although the conditioned mind is bewildered by the objects of sense gratification offered by māyā, illusion, if one takes to the unalloyed devotional service of the Lord such material sense gratification gradually dissipates, for it is merely a mental concoction of the conditioned soul. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī has emphasized by the words avyabhicāriṇī bhakti that one cannot dissipate the illusion of material sense gratification unless one takes to the unalloyed devotional service of the Lord. As Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has stated:
FAQs
This verse explains that duality appears in consciousness even when it is not ultimately real—similar to dreams and mental fantasies—so one should not take such appearances as absolute truth.
In the Uddhava Gītā, Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava on liberation: since the mind creates bondage through resolve and doubt, mastering it is essential for realizing the fearless spiritual position.
Observe how decisions and anxieties arise from mental looping (resolve vs. doubt), then steady the mind through disciplined practice—especially devotion, remembrance, and self-restraint—so fear and reactivity reduce.