September 9, 2026
adveṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca
nirmamo nirahaṁkāraḥ samaduḥkhasukhaḥ kṣamī (XII-13)
saṁtuṣṭaḥ satataṁ yogī yatātmā dṛḍhaniścayaḥ
mayy arpitamanobuddhir yo madbhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ (XII-14)
XII/13. He who hates no creature, who is friendly and compassionate
to all, who is free from attachment and egoism, balanced in
pleasure and pain, and forgiving,
XII/14. Ever content, steady in meditation, self-controlled,
possessed of firm conviction with the mind and intellect
offered to me, he, my devotee, is dear to me.
Swamiji's Commentary
The eight concluding verses of this chapter are thrilling and superb. They are called ‘amṛtāṣṭakaṁ’ – the immortal eight. Krishna, who has said that there was none dear or antagonistic to him, suddenly declares that there are some who are extremely dear to him! Who they are and what their nature is, he describes in these eight verses.
We should remember:
(a) That God is not a worldly ruler with friends and enemies.
(b) That he who answers to these descriptions becomes receptive to
God’s divine, omnipresent love. The pure heart receives and reflects
this love, even as iron-filings rush to the magnet, while rusted
ones do not, through nofault of the magnet itself.
(c) That whether we regard God as aloof and unconcerned with
the world, or in his omniscience, as able to fulfil the delicate
dual role of a witness and active participant in this world-play,
he is never whimsical.
(d) That the characteristics mentioned in connection with the devotee
are almost the same as those mentioned in connection
with descriptions of the sthitaprajña (one who is unshakably established
in superconsciousness) or guṇātīta (one who has transcended the three
qualities of nature), following jñāna or karma yoga paths. In fact, a close
study of The Bhagavad Gītā should convince us that these paths are
but one path viewed from the aspirant’s particular standpoint, even as
descriptions of the universe and of God vary, depending upon the standpoint
of the viewer.
(e) Since God is one’s innermost reality, this God-love dispels the psychotic
self-love and self-hate which distort man’s vision and estimation of himself
with consequent maladjustment.