BHAGAVAD-GITA 14:22-25

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 14:22-25

 

sri-bhagavan uvaca

prakasam ca pravrttim ca

moham eva ca pandava

na dvesti sampravrttani

na nivrttani kanksati

 

udasina-vad asino

gunair yo na vicalyate

guna vartanta ity evam

yo 'vatisthati nengate

 

sama-duhkha-sukhah sva-sthah

sama-lostasma-kancanah

tulya-priyapriyo dhiras

tulya-nindatma-samstutih

 

manapamanayos tulyas

tulyo mitrari-paksayoh

sarvarambha-parityagi

gunatitah sa ucyate

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

sri-bhagavan uvaca--the Supreme Personality of Godhead said;

prakasam--illumination; ca--and; pravrttim--attachment; ca--and;

moham--illusion; eva ca--also; pandava--O son of Pandu; na

dvesti--does not hate; sampravrttani--although developed; na

nivrttani--nor stopping development; kanksati--desires;

udasina-vat--as if neutral; asinah--situated; gunaih--by the

qualities; yah--one who; na--never; vicalyate--is agitated; gunah--the

qualities; vartante--are acting; iti evam--knowing thus; yah--one who;

avatisthati--remains; na--never; ingate--flickers; sama--equal;

duhkha--in distress; sukhah--and happiness; sva-sthah--being situated

in himself; sama--equally; losta--a lump of earth; asma--stone;

kancanah--gold; tulya--equally disposed; priya--to the dear;

apriyah--and the undesirable; dhirah--steady; tulya--equal; ninda--in

defamation; atma-samstutih--and praise of himself; mana--in honor;

apamanayoh--and dishonor; tulyah--equal; tuiyah--equal; mitra--of

friends; ari--and enemies; paksayoh--to the parties; sarva--of all;

arambha--endeavors; parityagi--renouncer; guna-atitah--transcendental

to the material modes of nature; sah--he; ucyate--is said to be.

 

TRANSLATION

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O son of Pandu, he who does

not hate illumination, attachment and delusion when they are present

or long for them when they disappear; who is unwavering and

undisturbed through all these reactions of the material qualities,

remaining neutral and transcendental, knowing that the modes alone are

active; who is situated in the self and regards alike happiness and

distress; who looks upon a lump of earth, a stone and a piece of gold

with an equal eye; who is equal toward the desirable and the

undesirable; who is steady, situated equally well in praise and blame,

honor and dishonor; who treats alike both friend and enemy; and who

has renounced all material activities--such a person is said to have

transcended the modes of nature.

 

PURPORT

 

Arjuna submitted three different questions, and the Lord answers them

one after another. In these verses, Krsna first indicates that a

person transcendentally situated has no envy and does not hanker for

anything. When a living entity stays in this material world embodied

by the material body, it is to be understood that he is under the

control of one of the three modes of material nature. When he is

actually out of the body, then he is out of the clutches of the

material modes of nature. But as long as he is not out of the material

body, he should be neutral. He should engage himself in the devotional

service of the Lord so that his identity with the material body will

automatically be forgotten. When one is conscious of the material

body, he acts only for sense gratification, but when one transfers the

consciousness to Krsna, sense gratification automatically stops. One

does not need this material body, and he does not need to accept the

dictations of the material body. The qualities of the material modes

in the body will act, but as spirit soul the self is aloof from such

activities. How does he become aloof? He does not desire to enjoy the

body, nor does he desire to get out of it. Thus transcendentally

situated, the devotee becomes automatically free. He need not try to

become free from the influence of the modes of material nature.

 

The next question concerns the dealings of a transcendentally situated

person. The materially situated person is affected by so-called honor

and dishonor offered to the body, but the transcendentally situated

person is not affected by such false honor and dishonor. He performs

his duty in Krsna consciousness and does not mind whether a man honors

or dishonors him. He accepts things that are favorable for his duty in

Krsna consciousness, otherwise he has no necessity of anything

material, either a stone or gold. He takes everyone as his dear friend

who helps him in his execution of Krsna consciousness, and he does not

hate his so-called enemy. He is equally disposed and sees everything

on an equal level because he knows perfectly well that he has nothing

to do with material existence. Social and political issues do not

affect him, because he knows the situation of temporary upheavals and

disturbances. He does not attempt anything for his own sake. He can

attempt anything for Krsna, but for his personal self he does not

attempt anything. By such behavior one becomes actually

transcendentally situated.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.