Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14, Verse 25

Chapter 14 – Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः ।
सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते ॥

Transliteration

mānāpamānayostulyastulyo mitrāripakṣayoḥ .
sarvārambhaparityāgī guṇātītaḥ sa ucyate ॥

Meaning

He who is the same in honour and dishonour, the same towards friend and foe, and who has given up all self-centred undertakings, is said to have transcended the gunas.

Word meanings

मानापमानयोः – in honour and dishonour
तुल्यः – the same
तुल्यः – the same
मित्रारिपक्षयोः – towards the side of friend and of foe
सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी – one who has renounced all (selfish) undertakings
गुणातीतः – beyond the gunas
सः – he
उच्यते – is said to be

Anvaya (word order)

(यः) मानापमानयोः तुल्यः, मित्रारिपक्षयोः तुल्यः, सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी (च), सः गुणातीतः उच्यते ।

Explanation

This verse completes the description of the marks and conduct of the one beyond the gunas. The previous verse spoke of evenness in blame and praise; this one speaks of evenness in mana and apamana, honour and dishonour. Blame and praise come through words, honour and dishonour through treatment: being welcomed with respect or being slighted. He remains unmoved by both.

'The same towards friend and foe.' This does not mean that he has no friends or enemies; others may regard him as friend or enemy. But in his own mind there is no partiality or hostility towards anyone, and he wishes everyone well. In the Mahabharata, figures such as Bhishma and Vidura offer glimpses of this attitude.

Sarvarambha-parityagi: 'one who has renounced all undertakings'. Arambha here means actions begun under the impulse of desire and ego for some seen or unseen reward. Shankara explains that such a person gives up all desire-driven actions, keeping only what is needed to sustain the body. Other commentators take it as the renunciation of initiating action with a sense of doership: he acts, but not with the feeling 'I am doing this'.

'He is said to be beyond the gunas.' The description in verses 22 to 25 gives the marks of the perfected person, and at the same time a set of practices for the seeker. Shankara points out that until these qualities become natural, the seeker should cultivate them with deliberate effort.

Context

Verses 22 to 24 described the inner marks, the witnessing stance and the equanimity of the one beyond the gunas; this verse completes that picture. In the next verse Krishna answers Arjuna's third question, how to cross beyond the gunas, with unswerving devotion.

Life lesson

Maturity means rising above honour and insult, friend and foe, and holding goodwill towards all. Keep doing your work, but do not keep forging new bonds through actions driven by ego and desire.

Key terms

Manapamana: Honour and dishonour
Sarvarambha-parityagi: One who renounces all undertakings born of desire and doership
Gunatita: The free person who has risen above the three gunas