Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 12
Purūravā’s Song of Renunciation and the Glory of Sādhu-saṅga
किं विद्यया किं तपसा किं त्यागेन श्रुतेन वा । किं विविक्तेन मौनेन स्त्रीभिर्यस्य मनो हृतम् ॥ १२ ॥
kiṁ vidyayā kiṁ tapasā kiṁ tyāgena śrutena vā kiṁ viviktena maunena strībhir yasya mano hṛtam
การศึกษาใหญ่ การบำเพ็ญตบะ การสละ หรือการฟังพระคัมภีร์จะมีประโยชน์อะไร? การอยู่สันโดษและความเงียบจะมีค่าใด หากท้ายที่สุดใจถูกสตรีช่วงชิงไป
All of the above-mentioned processes are useless if one’s heart and mind are stolen by an insignificant woman. One who hankers after a woman’s association certainly spoils his spiritual progress. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura states that if one worships the example of the liberated gopīs of Vṛndāvana, who accepted Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as their paramour, one can free one’s mental activities from the contamination of lust.
FAQs
This verse teaches that learning, austerity, renunciation, scriptural study, seclusion, and silence become ineffective if the mind remains captivated by lusty attachment; real progress requires mastery of the mind and senses.
Krishna was emphasizing to Uddhava that external spiritual practices are not sufficient by themselves; without inner detachment and control of desire, one cannot attain steady devotion and higher realization.
Prioritize inner discipline: regulate sense inputs, avoid triggers that inflame lust, keep uplifting association, and anchor the mind in devotional practices (hearing, chanting, remembrance) so that spirituality is not merely external.