Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 46
The Song of the Avantī Brāhmaṇa (Avanti-brāhmaṇa-gītā): Mind as the Root of Suffering and Equanimity Amid Insult
समाहितं यस्य मन: प्रशान्तं दानादिभि: किं वद तस्य कृत्यम् । असंयतं यस्य मनो विनश्यद् दानादिभिश्चेदपरं किमेभि: ॥ ४६ ॥
samāhitaṁ yasya manaḥ praśāntaṁ dānādibhiḥ kiṁ vada tasya kṛtyam asaṁyataṁ yasya mano vinaśyad dānādibhiś ced aparaṁ kim ebhiḥ
Nếu tâm ai đã an trụ và an tịnh hoàn toàn, thì còn cần gì các nghi thức bố thí và lễ thiện khác? Và nếu tâm vẫn không được chế ngự, tiêu vong trong vô minh, thì những việc ấy có ích gì cho người ấy?
FAQs
This verse teaches that charity and similar pious acts cannot grant the highest benefit if the mind remains uncontrolled; inner steadiness and peace are essential for real spiritual progress.
In the Bhagavatam’s teachings on renunciation and devotion, Shukadeva highlights that the root of bondage is the restless mind; when the mind is pacified and fixed properly, external duties become secondary.
Do good deeds, but prioritize daily mind-training—sadhana, prayer, japa, and self-discipline—so that charity is guided by purity rather than ego, impulse, or distraction.