Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 59
The Song of the Avantī Brāhmaṇa (Avanti-brāhmaṇa-gītā): Mind as the Root of Suffering and Equanimity Amid Insult
सुखदु:खप्रदो नान्य: पुरुषस्यात्मविभ्रम: । मित्रोदासीनरिपव: संसारस्तमस: कृत: ॥ ५९ ॥
sukha-duḥkha-prado nānyaḥ puruṣasyātma-vibhramaḥ mitrodāsīna-ripavaḥ saṁsāras tamasaḥ kṛtaḥ
Nulle force, hormis sa propre confusion intérieure, ne fait goûter à l’âme joie et peine. La vision d’amis, d’indifférents et d’ennemis, et la vie matérielle bâtie sur elle, est engendrée par l’ignorance.
Everyone is working hard to please their friends, defeat their enemies and maintain the status quo with neutral parties. These relations are certainly based on the material body and do not exist beyond the body’s inevitable demise. They are called ignorance, or material illusion.
FAQs
This verse says happiness and distress are not truly caused by others; they arise from one’s own ātmā-vibhrama—misidentifying the self and seeing life through ignorance.
Yadu approached the Avadhūta to learn the secret of his peace and freedom; Dattātreya teaches that bondage is created by ignorance and dualistic labels like friend and enemy.
Reduce reactive blame and hostility by checking the ego’s stories (“friend/enemy”), cultivate self-awareness, and anchor the mind in devotion and spiritual identity rather than temporary social roles.