Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 1
Avadhūta’s Further Teachers: Detachment, Solitude, One-Pointed Meditation, and the Lord as Āśraya
श्रीब्राह्मण उवाच परिग्रहो हि दु:खाय यद् यत्प्रियतमं नृणाम् । अनन्तं सुखमाप्नोति तद् विद्वान् यस्त्वकिञ्चन: ॥ १ ॥
śrī-brāhmaṇa uvāca parigraho hi duḥkhāya yad yat priyatamaṁ nṛṇām anantaṁ sukham āpnoti tad vidvān yas tv akiñcanaḥ
Le saint brāhmaṇa dit : Ce que l’homme tient pour le plus cher, l’attachement et l’esprit de possession envers cela deviennent source de peine. Le sage qui renonce à la possessivité obtient une félicité sans limite.
FAQs
This verse states that parigraha—accumulating and clinging to what is ‘most dear’—becomes a direct cause of suffering, because attachment makes the heart vulnerable to fear, loss, and anxiety.
King Yadu approached the Avadhūta to learn the secret of inner freedom. The Avadhūta begins by explaining that detachment from possessions and attachments is foundational for spiritual happiness.
Practice reducing unnecessary acquisition, simplify needs, and shift dependence from possessions to devotion and inner discipline—so happiness is less controlled by gain and loss.