Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 10
Avadhūta’s Further Teachers: Detachment, Solitude, One-Pointed Meditation, and the Lord as Āśraya
वासे बहूनां कलहो भवेद् वार्ता द्वयोरपि । एक एव वसेत्तस्मात् कुमार्या इव कङ्कण: ॥ १० ॥
vāse bahūnāṁ kalaho bhaved vārtā dvayor api eka eva vaset tasmāt kumāryā iva kaṅkaṇaḥ
เมื่อคนจำนวนมากอยู่ร่วมกัน ย่อมเกิดการทะเลาะแน่นอน; แม้มีเพียงสองคนก็ยังมีคำพูดไร้สาระและความขัดแย้ง ดังนั้นเพื่อหลีกเลี่ยงวิวาท ควรอยู่ลำพัง—ดุจกำไลของหญิงสาวเป็นอุทาหรณ์
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has given a nice example in this regard. Because the young girl mentioned in this story had no husband, she had to fulfill her duties as a host by removing her bracelets so that each wrist held one bracelet only. In the same way, the process of jñāna-yoga, or spiritual advancement by philosophical speculation, demands that the speculating sages live alone, without any other association. Since jñānīs have dedicated their lives to speculation, there will undoubtedly be endless argument and quarreling on technical points if many jñānīs live together. Therefore, to keep a peaceful atmosphere they must live alone. On the other hand, a king’s daughter who has been duly married to an aristocratic prince fulfills her duties to her husband by dressing herself attractively with innumerable ornaments and approaching him for love. Similarly, the goddess of devotion, Bhaktidevī, decorates herself with the innumerable ornaments of the Vaiṣṇavas, who come together to relish the sweet sound of the holy name of the Lord. Because pure Vaiṣṇavas do not intimately associate with nondevotees, it may be said that they reside alone, and thus they also fulfill the purpose of this verse. There cannot be any quarrel among pure Vaiṣṇavas, because they are on the real platform of desirelessness, not wanting even salvation or mystic powers, what to speak of sense gratification. Because they are all devotees of Kṛṣṇa, they may freely associate with one another for glorifying the Lord. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.25.34) :
FAQs
This verse teaches that living with many tends to create quarrel, and even living with two can lead to distracting talk; therefore, for spiritual focus one may adopt solitude like a single bangle that makes no noise.
Multiple bangles clink and make noise, but a single bangle is quiet—illustrating that fewer companions reduce disturbance and help one maintain inner silence and steadiness.
Reduce unnecessary company and idle talk, set boundaries for silence and focused practice (japa, study, prayer), and keep association purposeful—seeking sādhus and devotional conversations rather than gossip.