What the scriptures say about kindness
What do the scriptures say about kindness?
The texts call it maitrī (मैत्री). Being a friend to all beings is the first mark of the one dear to God, according to the Gita (12.13). Goodwill and friendliness are the qualities of maitrī. They set it against resentment.
- 110 verses
- 17 stories
- Heals the mind
अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च । निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः समदुःखसुखः क्षमी ॥
adveṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṃ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca | nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ samaduḥkhasukhaḥ kṣamī ||
One who hates no being, who is friendly and compassionate, free from possessiveness and ego, even in pain and pleasure, and forgiving,
Kindness in the texts' own words
Verses that show it in a person, or name it outright.
- Krishna
अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च । निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः समदुःखसुखः क्षमी ॥
adveṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṃ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca | nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ samaduḥkhasukhaḥ kṣamī ||
One who hates no being, who is friendly and compassionate, free from possessiveness and ego, even in pain and pleasure, and forgiving,
- Tuladhara
सर्वेषां यः सुहृन्नित्यं सर्वेषां च हिते रतः / कर्मणा मनसा वाचा स धर्मं वेद जाजले
sarveṣāṃ yaḥ suhṛnnityaṃ sarveṣāṃ ca hite rataḥ / karmaṇā manasā vācā sa dharmaṃ veda jājale
Jajali, the one who is always a friend to all, devoted to the good of all, in action, thought and word, is the one who truly knows dharma.
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Bhishma, Mokshadharma
- Bhushunda
सुखितोऽस्मि सुखापन्ने दुःखितो दुःखिते जने । सर्वस्य प्रियमित्रं च तेन जीवाम्यनामयः ॥
sukhito’smi sukhāpanne duḥkhito duḥkhite jane | sarvasya priyamitraṃ ca tena jīvāmyanāmayaḥ ||
I am happy when people are happy and sad when people are sad; I am a dear friend to all. So I live long, free of illness.
Yoga Vasishtha
What it heals
The states the texts set it against.
Practices that grow kindness
Verses that give something to do, today or in the hard moment.
- Krishna
अनुद्वेगकरं वाक्यं सत्यं प्रियहितं च यत् । स्वाध्यायाभ्यसनं चैव वाङ्मयं तप उच्यते ॥
anudvegakaraṃ vākyaṃ satyaṃ priyahitaṃ ca yat | svādhyāyābhyasanaṃ caiva vāṅmayaṃ tapa ucyate ||
Speech that causes no distress, that is truthful, pleasant and beneficial, and the regular study of sacred texts: this is called austerity of speech.
Shows words chosen true, kind and helpful build goodwill. our reading
- Krishna
आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योऽर्जुन । सुखं वा यदि वा दुःखं सः योगी परमो मतः ॥
ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṃ paśyati yo’rjuna | sukhaṃ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṃ saḥ yogī paramo mataḥ ||
One who, by comparison with himself, sees the same everywhere, Arjuna, whether in pleasure or in pain, is considered the highest yogi.
Shows wishing others' happiness as one's own. our reading
- Bhartrihari
प्रदानं प्रच्छन्नं गृहमुपगते सम्भ्रमविधिः प्रियं कृत्वा मौनं सदसि कथनं चाप्युपकृते । अनुत्सेको लक्ष्म्यामनभिभवगन्धाः परकथाः सतां केनोद्दिष्टं विषममसिधाराव्रतमिदम् ॥
pradānaṃ pracchannaṃ gṛhamupagate sambhramavidhiḥ priyaṃ kṛtvā maunaṃ sadasi kathanaṃ cāpyupakṛte | anutseko lakṣmyāmanabhibhavagandhāḥ parakathāḥ satāṃ kenoddiṣṭaṃ viṣamamasidhārāvratamidam ||
Giving in secret, a warm welcome for whoever comes home, silence after doing a kindness, speaking in public of kindness received, no arrogance in wealth, talking of others without a whiff of contempt: who taught the good this vow, hard as walking a sword's edge?
Bhartrihari · Niti Shatakam
Shows no contempt in talk of others. our reading
- Bhishma
कृतज्ञमनसा भाव्यं मित्रभावेन चानघ / मित्रात्प्रभवते सर्वं मित्रं धन्यतरं स्मृतम्
kṛtajñamanasā bhāvyaṃ mitrabhāvena cānagha / mitrātprabhavate sarvaṃ mitraṃ dhanyataraṃ smṛtam
Keep a grateful heart and a friendly spirit. Everything grows out of friendship; a friend is the greatest blessing.
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Bhishma: Apaddharma
Names friendship as the source of every good. our reading
- Gautama (retold by Bhishma)
चिरेण मित्रं बध्नीयाच्चिरेण च कृतं त्यजेत् / चिरेण हि कृतं मित्रं चिरं धारणमर्हति
cireṇa mitraṃ badhnīyāccireṇa ca kṛtaṃ tyajet / cireṇa hi kṛtaṃ mitraṃ ciraṃ dhāraṇamarhati
Make a friend slowly, and give one up slowly. A friendship made slowly is one that lasts long.
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Bhishma: Mokshadharma
Shows slow friendship is the lasting kind. our reading
- Brihaspati (retold by Bhishma)
यो हि नाभाषते किंचित्सर्वदा भुकुटीमुखः / द्वेष्यो भवति भूतानां स सान्त्वमिह नाचरन् यस्तु सर्वमभिप्रेक्ष्य पूर्वमेवाभिभाषते / स्मितपूर्वाभिभाषी च तस्य लोकः प्रसीदति
yo hi nābhāṣate kiṃcitsarvadā bhukuṭīmukhaḥ / dveṣyo bhavati bhūtānāṃ sa sāntvamiha nācaran yastu sarvamabhiprekṣya pūrvamevābhibhāṣate / smitapūrvābhibhāṣī ca tasya lokaḥ prasīdati
The person who never says a word and always wears a frown is disliked by everyone, for he does not practise kind speech. But the one who notices everyone, speaks to them first, and greets them with a smile, wins the whole world's goodwill.
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Bhishma, Rajadharma
Shows warm speech as a daily practice. our reading
- Tulsidas
आकर चारि लाख चौरासी। जाति जीव जल थल नभ बासी॥ सीय राममय सब जग जानी। करउँ प्रनाम जोरि जुग पानी ॥
ākar cāri lākh caurāsī| jāti jīv jal thal nabh bāsī|| sīy rāmamay sab jag jānī| karauṁ pranām jori jug pānī ||
The eight million four hundred thousand kinds of beings, living in water, on land and in the sky: knowing the whole world to be full of Sita and Ram, I bow to them with folded hands.
Ramcharitmanas, Bal Kand 1.8 (chaupai 1)
Shows reverence toward every being. our reading
- Ram
सातवँ सम मोहि मय जग देखा। मोतें संत अधिक करि लेखा॥ आठवँ जथालाभ संतोषा। सपनेहुँ नहिं देखइ परदोषा ॥
sātavaṁ sam mohi may jag dekhā| moteṃ saṃt adhik kari lekhā|| āṭhavaṁ jathālābh saṃtoṣā| sapanehuṁ nahiṃ dekhai paradoṣā ||
The seventh is to see the whole world as filled with me, and to regard good people as greater than me. The eighth is to be content with whatever comes, and never, even in a dream, to look for faults in others.
Ramcharitmanas · Aranya Kand
Seeing the Lord in everyone. our reading
People who lived it
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Questions people ask
What is the Sanskrit word for kindness?
Which Bhagavad Gita verse speaks about kindness?
Verses, translations and stories come from the Wisdom library, read with the traditional commentaries. A line marked stated in the text is a link the verse or a named commentator makes; our reading is Wisdom's own reading of the verse.