Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 56
Sāṅkhya Enumeration of Tattvas, Distinction of Puruṣa–Prakṛti, and the Mechanics of Birth and Death
अर्थे ह्यविद्यमानेऽपि संसृतिर्न निवर्तते । ध्यायतो विषयानस्य स्वप्नेऽनर्थागमो यथा ॥ ५६ ॥
arthe hy avidyamāne ’pi saṁsṛtir na nivartate dhyāyato viṣayān asya svapne ’narthāgamo yathā
Même si l’objet n’existe pas réellement, pour celui qui médite sur les plaisirs des sens, la vie matérielle ne s’éteint pas ; de même, les expériences pénibles d’un rêve, bien qu’irréelles, ne cessent pas d’être éprouvées.
One may object that if Lord Kṛṣṇa insists that material life is false, then why should one endeavor to stop it? The Lord therefore explains here that although not factual, material life stubbornly continues for one addicted to sense gratification, just as a frightening dream continues for one merged in sleep. The word avidyamāna, “not existing,” means that material life is based on mental concoction, in which one thinks, “I am a man,” “I am a woman,” “I am a doctor,” “I am a senator,” “I am a street sweeper” and so on. A conditioned soul enthusiastically performs his activities based on the imaginary identification with the body. Thus although the spirit soul exists and the body exists, the false identification with the body does not exist. Material life, based on a false idea, has no factual existence.
FAQs
This verse says that even if the objects are not present, bondage continues if one mentally dwells on them; mere contemplation can generate anarthas, like suffering experienced in a dream.
Krishna is teaching Uddhava renunciation and inner discipline: liberation is not only external withdrawal from objects but also freedom from mental fixation on them.
Reduce obsessive rumination—especially on pleasures, fears, or resentments—by redirecting attention to dharma, japa/naam-smaran, and mindful restraint, since mental indulgence itself sustains anxiety and bondage.