Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 16
Jaḍa Bharata Instructs King Rahūgaṇa: The Mind as Bondage and the Two Kṣetrajñas
न यावदेतन्मन आत्मलिङ्गं संसारतापावपनं जनस्य । यच्छोकमोहामयरागलोभ- वैरानुबन्धं ममतां विधत्ते ॥ १६ ॥
na yāvad etan mana ātma-liṅgaṁ saṁsāra-tāpāvapanaṁ janasya yac choka-mohāmaya-rāga-lobha- vairānubandhaṁ mamatāṁ vidhatte
Le mental, désignation de l’âme (ātmaliṅga), est la cause des tourments du saṁsāra. Tant que l’être conditionné l’ignore, il subit la misère du corps et erre dans l’univers; car l’esprit, atteint de chagrin, d’illusion, de maladie, d’attachement, d’avidité et d’inimitié, forge l’entrave et une fausse familiarité.
The mind is the cause of both material bondage and liberation. The impure mind thinks, “I am this body.” The pure mind knows that he is not the material body; therefore the mind is considered to be the root of all material designations. Until the living entity is aloof from the association and contaminations of this material world, the mind will be absorbed in such material things as birth, death, disease, illusion, attachment, greed and enmity. In this way the living entity is conditioned, and he suffers material miseries.
FAQs
This verse explains that the mind plants the seeds of saṁsāra by generating lamentation, illusion, attachment, greed, and enmity, culminating in possessiveness (‘mine’), which keeps one bound.
Jaḍa Bharata instructs Rahūgaṇa that real suffering is not external hardship but the mind’s creation of possessiveness and passions; understanding this is essential for spiritual liberation.
Reduce possessiveness by seeing relationships and resources as entrusted by the Lord, not owned by the ego—this weakens greed, rivalry, and anxiety and supports steady devotional practice.