One who is equal to enemy and friend, honor and dishonor, heat and cold, pleasure and pain, and is free from attachment is dear to Me.
— Krishna
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Bhagavad Gita · 12.18
Hindi · हिन्दी
जो शत्रु और मित्रमें तथा मानअपमानमें सम है और शीतउष्ण अनुकूलताप्रतिकूलता तथा सुखदुःखमें सम है एवं आसक्तिसे रहित है, और जो निन्दास्तुतिको समान समझनेवाला, मननशील, जिसकिसी प्रकारसे भी शरीरका निर्वाह होनेमें संतुष्ट, रहनेके स्थान तथा शरीरमें ममताआसक्तिसे रहित और स्थिर बुद्धिवाला है, वह भक्तिमान् मनुष्य मुझे प्रिय है ॥
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
समःequalशत्रौto enemyचandमित्रेto friendचandतथाlikewiseमानापमानयोःin honor and dishonorशीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषुin cold and heat, pleasure and painसमःequalसङ्गविवर्जितःfree from attachment
Read literallyequal · to enemy · and · to friend · and · likewise · in honor and dishonor · in cold and heat, pleasure and pain · equal · free from attachment
Understanding the verse
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Friend and enemy, honour and insult, heat and cold: Krishna's devotee stays even through each pair.
A devoted person stays steady through praise and blame, comfort and discomfort, friendship and hostility, without clinging to either side.
02
On the battlefield
Context & commentary
Krishna describes the devotee Arjuna should become. After listing inner qualities in the battlefield crisis, he adds one more test: the beloved devotee does not wobble under praise, insult, comfort, or pain.
03
In your life
What it looks like today
At a wedding, one relative praises your cooking and another complains the dal was salty. Krishna's devotee hears both with the same calm, the way the body bears a hot afternoon and a cold night.
The takeaway
“You can stay open and calm without needing life to treat you kindly.”
A devoted person stays steady through praise and blame, comfort and discomfort, friendship and hostility, without clinging to either side.
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 12.18?
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Bhakti Yoga" (The Yoga of Devotion).
Which chapter of the Bhagavad Gita contains verse 12.18?
Verse 18 sits in Chapter 12 of the Bhagavad Gita — Bhakti Yoga, "The Yoga of Devotion". The chapter has 20 verses in total.
Why does Bhagavad Gita 12.18 matter today?
At a wedding, one relative praises your cooking and another complains the dal was salty. Krishna's devotee hears both with the same calm, the way the body bears a hot afternoon and a cold night.
Friend and enemy, honour and insult, heat and cold: Krishna's devotee stays even through each pair.
What this verse means
A devoted person stays steady through praise and blame, comfort and discomfort, friendship and hostility, without clinging to either side.
Context & commentary
Krishna describes the devotee Arjuna should become. After listing inner qualities in the battlefield crisis, he adds one more test: the beloved devotee does not wobble under praise, insult, comfort, or pain.
What it looks like today
At a wedding, one relative praises your cooking and another complains the dal was salty. Krishna's devotee hears both with the same calm, the way the body bears a hot afternoon and a cold night.
“You can stay open and calm without needing life to treat you kindly.”
Explore related themes: bhakti (69 verses), equanimity (23 verses), attachment (20 verses)