Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 3
Avadhūta’s Further Teachers: Detachment, Solitude, One-Pointed Meditation, and the Lord as Āśraya
न मे मानापमानौ स्तो न चिन्ता गेहपुत्रिणाम् । आत्मक्रीड आत्मरतिर्विचरामीह बालवत् ॥ ३ ॥
na me mānāpamānau sto na cintā geha-putriṇām ātma-krīḍa ātma-ratir vicarāmīha bāla-vat
مجھے نہ عزت و ذلت کی پروا ہے، نہ گھر اور اولاد کی فکر۔ میں روح ہی میں کھیلتا ہوں، روح ہی میں لذت پاتا ہوں؛ اس لیے بچے کی طرح زمین پر گھومتا پھرتا ہوں۔
FAQs
This verse teaches that a spiritually realized person remains steady amid respect and insult, because their happiness is rooted in the Self rather than social approval.
King Yadu questioned the Avadhūta’s carefree wandering; the Avadhūta explains that freedom from worldly anxiety and dependence on external validation comes from inner realization.
Reduce identity based on praise/blame, simplify unnecessary obligations, and cultivate daily inner practice (japa, meditation, śravaṇa) so contentment comes from within, not from status.