BHAGAVAD-GITA 12:13-14

[Guest guest]

BHAGAVAD-GITA 12:13-14

 

advesta sarva-bhutanam

maitrah karuna eva ca

nirmamo nirahankarah

sama-duhkha-sukhah ksami

 

santustah satatam yogi

yatatma drdha-niscayah

mayy arpita-mano-buddhir

yo mad-bhaktah sa me priyah

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

advesta--nonenvious; sarva-bhutanam--toward all living entities;

maitrah--friendly; karunah--kindly; eva--certainly; ca--also;

nirmamah--with no sense of proprietorship; nirahankarah--without false

ego; sama--equal; duhkha--in distress; sukhah--and happiness; ksam

i--forgiving; santustah--satisfied; satatam--always; yogi--one engaged

in devotion; yata-atma--self-controlled; drdha-niscayah--with

determination; mayi--upon Me; arpita--engaged; manah--mind;

buddhih--and intelligence; yah--one who; mat-bhaktah--My devotee;

sah--he; me--to Me; priyah--dear.

 

TRANSLATION

 

One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities,

who does not think himself a proprietor and is free from false ego,

who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is tolerant, always

satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in devotional service with

determination, his mind and intelligence fixed on Me--such a devotee

of Mine is very dear to Me.

 

PURPORT

 

Coming again to the point of pure devotional service, the Lord is

describing the transcendental qualifications of a pure devotee in

these two verses. A pure devotee is never disturbed in any

circumstances. Nor is he envious of anyone. Nor does a devotee become

his enemy's enemy; he thinks, "This person is acting as my enemy due

to my own past misdeeds. So it is better to suffer than to protest."

In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.8) it is stated: tat te

'nukampam susam iksamano bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam. Whenever a devotee

is in distress or has fallen into difficulty, he thinks that it is the

Lord's mercy upon him. He thinks, "Thanks to my past misdeeds I should

suffer far, far greater than I am suffering now. So it is by the mercy

of the Supreme Lord that I am not getting all the punishment I am due.

I am just getting a little, by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead." Therefore he is always calm, quiet and patient, despite many

distressful conditions. A devotee is also always kind to everyone,

even to his enemy. Nirmama means that a devotee does not attach much

importance to the pains and trouble pertaining to the body because he

knows perfectly well that he is not the material body. He does not

identify with the body; therefore he is freed from the conception of

false ego and is equipoised in happiness and distress. He is tolerant,

and he is satisfied with whatever comes by the grace of the Supreme

Lord. He does not endeavor much to achieve something with great

difficulty; therefore he is always joyful. He is a completely perfect

mystic because he is fixed in the instructions received from the

spiritual master, and because his senses are controlled he is

determined. He is not swayed by false arguments, because no one can

lead him from the fixed determination of devotional service. He is

fully conscious that Krsna is the eternal Lord, so no one can disturb

him. All these qualifications enable him to fix his mind and

intelligence entirely on the Supreme Lord. Such a standard of

devotional service is undoubtedly very rare, but a devotee becomes

situated in that stage by following the regulative principles of

devotional service. Furthermore, the Lord says that such a devotee is

very dear to Him, for the Lord is always pleased with all his

activities in full Krsna consciousness.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.