Shloka 36
Chapter 19
शमो मन्-निष्ठता बुद्धेर् दम इन्द्रिय-संयमः ।
तितिक्षा दुःख-सम्मर्षो जिह्वोपस्थ-जयो धृतिः ॥
śamo man-niṣṭhatā buddher dama indriya-saṃyamaḥ / titikṣā duḥkha-sammarṣo jihvopastha-jayo dhṛtiḥ //
သမ သည် ဉာဏ်ကို ငါ၌ တည်မြဲစေခြင်း၊ ဒမ သည် အင်ဒြိယများကို ထိန်းချုပ်ခြင်း။ တိတိက္ခာ သည် ဒုက္ခကို သည်းခံခြင်း၊ ဓြတိ သည် လျှာနှင့် ကာမအင်္ဂါကို အနိုင်ယူခြင်း ဖြစ်သည်။
Lord Kṛṣṇa now defines key inner virtues in a distinctly bhakti-centered way. “Śama” is not merely calmness; it is the mind’s peace that arises when the intelligence is anchored in the Lord (man-niṣṭhatā buddheḥ). This is crucial: the Bhagavatam repeatedly teaches that the mind becomes steady not simply by suppression, but by higher attachment—absorption in Kṛṣṇa. “Dama,” or self-control, is described as indriya-saṃyama—practical governance of the senses. Among the senses, the tongue and genitals are especially powerful drivers of bondage; therefore, Kṛṣṇa highlights victory over jihvā and upastha as a hallmark of dhṛti (steadfast endurance). This aligns with the devotional principle that regulated eating, speech, and sexuality protect spiritual focus and prevent the mind from being dragged outward. “Titikṣā” is the strength to tolerate discomfort without abandoning dharma or devotional practice. In Kali-yuga, where agitation and distraction are common, these virtues become essential supports for sādhana-bhakti—helping the devotee remain steady in chanting, hearing, and service despite inner urges and outer difficulties. Thus the verse offers a practical diagnostic: if one’s intelligence is fixed on Kṛṣṇa, the senses become governable; if the tongue and genitals are mastered, steadiness deepens; and with tolerance, one continues onward even through hardship—making devotion firm and mature.
FAQs
Śama is defined as fixing the intelligence upon Kṛṣṇa—mental peace that comes from steady God-centered understanding rather than mere suppression.
Because these urges strongly pull consciousness outward; conquering them brings dhṛti (steadfastness) and protects one’s spiritual practice and purity.
It means continuing one’s chanting, hearing, and devotional duties even when discomfort, criticism, or life’s difficulties arise, without abandoning dharma and devotion.