अनपेक्ष: शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथ: |
सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भक्त: स मे प्रिय: || 16||
anapekṣhaḥ śhuchir dakṣha udāsīno gata-vyathaḥ
sarvārambha-parityāgī yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ
anapekṣhaḥ—indifferent to worldly gain; śhuchiḥ—pure; dakṣhaḥ—skillful; udāsīnaḥ—without cares; gata-vyathaḥ—untroubled; sarva-ārambha—of all undertakings; parityāgī—renouncer; saḥ—who; mad-bhaktaḥ—my devotees; saḥ—he; me—to Me; priyaḥ—very dear
Translation:
He who is free from desire, who is pure in body and mind, who is competent and ready-willed, who is unconcerned, free from anxiety and sorrow, who has renounced all sense of doership (or who has renounced all acts of desire, prohibited by the ‘sastras’), who is devoted to Me – is dear to Me.
Commentary:
Suchih: Purity is many times emphasised by the Lord. The devotee should be clean in body and mind, and the place where he lives should also be clean. Such purity of body is essential for purity of mind.
dakshah: He should be competent and ever alert in carrying out his ‘sadhana’. A moment’s negligence is enough for ‘maya’ to strike him down.
gatavyathah: Anxiety and fear are the two real enemies of all men. Having taken refuge with the Lord, it would be foolish for a devotee still to be anxious and struck with fear about anything in the world.
sarvarambhaparityagi: This does not mean that the devotee becomes dull and inactive. It means that he has renounced all sense of doership in all actions. Or it may mean that he has renounced all desire-prompted actions prohibited by the ‘Sastras’. Having given up the feeling of doership, though he is engaged in good work, still he is one who has not done anything.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 12 🔻 (20 Verses)
