Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 38
Avadhūta’s Teachers: Python, Ocean, Moth, Bee, Elephant, Deer, Fish—and Piṅgalā’s Song of Detachment
मैवं स्युर्मन्दभाग्याया: क्लेशा निर्वेदहेतव: । येनानुबन्धं निर्हृत्य पुरुष: शममृच्छति ॥ ३८ ॥
maivaṁ syur manda-bhāgyāyāḥ kleśā nirveda-hetavaḥ yenānubandhaṁ nirhṛtya puruṣaḥ śamam ṛcchati
離欲を生む苦しみが不運な者だけに起こるのではない。執着の鎖を断ち、人を静けさへ導く苦しみは、むしろ慈悲である。大いなる苦難によって私の心に離欲が目覚めたのなら、どうして私が不幸と言えよう。これは主の憐れみであり、主は何らかの形で私に満足しておられる。
FAQs
This verse explains that suffering becomes spiritually useful only when it produces detachment; then one can uproot material entanglement and attain peace.
Pingalā’s experience shows how disappointment in worldly hope can transform into nirveda (disenchantment), becoming a gateway to inner peace and spiritual clarity.
Use setbacks to reduce dependence on external validation and sense enjoyment; consciously cut the habits and attachments that bind the mind, and cultivate steady spiritual practice for lasting peace.