Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12, Verse 19

English Translation

The person to whom denunciation and praise are the same, who is silent, content with anything, homeless, steady-minded, and full of devotion is dear to Me.

Detailed Commentary

Here, the Lord has described the equanimity of a devotee towards individuals. Due to having Bhagavān-buddhi and being free from rāga-dveṣa, a perfected devotee holds no feeling of foe or friend towards anyone. People, according to their nature, project friendship or enmity upon seeing favorable or unfavorable circumstances. Ordinary people do this, and some sādhakas may also harbor such feelings. But a devotee always remains sama and never has feelings of foe or friend in their heart. Suppose two individuals come to a devotee with a dispute over the division of wealth. The devotee might give more to the one who feels enmity and less to the one who feels friendship. Outwardly, this appears to be vishamata (inequality), but in reality, the person feeling enmity considers this decision impartial. Therefore, it will be called samata (equanimity). From these verses, it is proven that people interact with a perfected devotee with enmity or friendship according to their own feelings, and by such behavior, they consider themselves their foe or friend. For this reason, the devotee is not said to be devoid of foe-friend, but rather 'equanimous in foe-friend'. 'Tathā mānāpamānayoḥ' — Honor and dishonor are directed towards the body. A devotee has neither ahantā nor mamata towards the body. Therefore, even when honor or dishonor occurs, no inner vikāra (agitation) arises. The devotee always remains established in samata. 'Shītoṣṇasukhaduḥkheṣu samaḥ' — Here, equanimity is described in two situations: the absence of vikāra in the antaḥkaraṇa upon contact with sense objects; and equanimity in joy and sorrow, meaning no vikāra upon gain or loss of wealth, etc. 'Shītoṣṇa' means 'cold-heat'. A devotee remains sama in all sense objects. Even upon contact with the objects of each sense, the devotee's antaḥkaraṇa remains free from vikāra. Āsakti (attachment) is neither in the Ātmā nor in Prakriti. It resides in the identification of 'I-ness' between the insentient (jaḍa) and the sentient (chetana). The cause of āsakti is aviveka (lack of discrimination). Devotees do not have aviveka, therefore they are free from āsakti. By mistakenly considering the world as our own, rāga arises towards it. This leads to āsakti. When this assumed sense of 'my-ness' makes the buddhi equanimous, āsakti itself ceases. In reality, the natural love of the Jīva is for Bhagavān. As long as one considers the world as one's own, this love does not manifest. Attachment to the world is, in fact, anurakti (devotion) to Bhagavān in a veiled form. 'Tulyanindāstutiḥ' — Censure and praise are mainly directed at one's name. A devotee has not even a trace of ahantā or mamata towards their name or body. Therefore, censure or praise has no effect on them. Devotees possess a samabuddhi (equanimous intellect) towards both praise and censure. Devotees cannot perform inauspicious actions. They consider Bhagavān alone to be the cause of auspicious actions. Nevertheless, even upon censure or praise, no vikāra arises in their mind. 'Maunī' — A devotee continuously contemplates the Bhagavat-svarūpa. Therefore, they are called Maunī (one who observes silence). Whatever thoughts arise in their antaḥkaraṇa, they perceive 'Vāsudevaḥ sarvam' (Vasudeva is all), and continuous contemplation of Bhagavān takes place. 'Santuṣṭo yena kenachit' — A devotee is not content with worldly circumstances for the sake of contentment; rather, they are content in Bhagavān. Whatever they receive in the world, they remain content, because in every situation, they experience the divine vidhāna (ordinance) of Bhagavān. 'Aniketaḥ' — Those who do not have a house are not necessarily Aniketa. Whether a gṛhastha (householder) or a sannyāsī (renunciate), one who has no mamata towards a place or the body is truly Aniketa. 'Sthiramatīḥ' — A devotee's buddhi is steady in the knowledge of Bhagavad-tattva. There are no desires within it. Therefore, there is no desire for worldly happiness. This eliminates the illusion of a hidden world, and the buddhi remains steady towards Bhagavān. 'Bhaktimān me priyo naraḥ' — A sādhaka should practice according to whichever prakaraṇa (section) they find suitable. Even if the characteristics of one section are not fully met, the sādhaka should not be disappointed. Success will certainly be achieved.