Chapter 12 Shloka 16

अनपेक्ष: शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथ:।

सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भक्त: स मे प्रिय:।।१६।।

He who is impartial, pure, shrewd,

detached from self, devoid of distress

and who does not initiate any undertaking,

that devotee of Mine is extremely dear to Me.

Chapter 12 Shloka 16

अनपेक्ष: शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथ:।

सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भक्त: स मे प्रिय:।।१६।।

The Lord continues:

He who is impartial, pure, shrewd, detached from self, devoid of distress and who does not initiate any undertaking, that devotee of Mine is extremely dear to Me.

Anapeksha (अनपेक्ष)

Little one, first understand the meaning of the word ‘Anapeksha’. It connotes impartiality; one who does not take sides; one who is unaffected by all.

The Lord says:

1. One who is indifferent to sense objects;

2. He who is satiated with whatever he receives;

3. He who has not even the slightest attachment to any sense objects;

4. He whose mind is completely devoid of any trace of desire or craving;

– that devotee is dear to Me.

Shuchi (शुचिः)

Little one, the Lord states that one who is ‘Shuchi’ is dear to Him.

1. Those whose mind-stuff is pure;

2. Whose mind is free from the conglomeration of conflicting tendencies;

3. Those who act for the benefit of all beings;

4. Those who engage in deeds of yagya, tapas and daan;

– all such devotees are infinitely pure and extremely dear to the Lord.

Little one, do not think that those who give wealth are necessarily pure.

1. In spirituality, daan has to be devoid of any desire for personal gain.

2. In spirituality, the gift of the body in the service of the other is considered to be a worthy daan.

3. Gifting one’s intellect for the others’ benefit is a worthy ‘daan’.

To employ one’s intellect and body in the establishment of the other is considered to be a much greater daan than the gift of wealth.

When one’s life becomes a constant practice of establishing the other through the employment of one’s intellect, true yagya takes root. The Lord says that such a devotee truly pleases Him.

Daksha (दक्ष)

‘Daksha’ is a term used for one who is clever, vigilant, able, dextrous, and ever alert.

Little one, the Lord’s devotee will inevitably be ‘daksha’ because:

a) He has to fulfil varied tasks of various people.

b) He performs deeds for the benefit of all.

c) He believes that the entire universe is the Lord’s cosmic manifestation.

d) He believes everybody to be manifestations of the Self.

Forgetful of himself, he engages in deeds for the other, believing all tasks to be the Lord’s own tasks. Vigilant and ever endeavouring, he performs everybody’s tasks with a selfless attitude.

When he performs deeds for others, the latter are often suspicious of him; they suspect his intentions when they perceive his complete identification in the performance of their tasks with an excellence that far surpasses their own.

Udaseen (उदासीन)

The connotation of this word is sometimes difficult to define and understand. Udaseen means devoid of any desire, impartial, detached. Udaseen is often translated as ‘indifferent’ in English.

Several questions arise:

1. How can a universal well wisher be detached?

2. How can one who is Love Itself be deemed as indifferent?

3. How can one who is compassionate and merciful be impartial?

4. How can one who is the lover of all devotees of the Lord be indifferent?

5. Can one who engages in selfless deeds be called ‘Udaseen’?

6. If he performs the tasks of all with shrewdness, how can he be indifferent?

Little one!

a) A sadhak must be indifferent towards his own body self.

b) The sadhak’s aim is to renounce his body idea.

c) The sadhak has to distance himself from the countless desires of the mind.

d) The sadhak has to be indifferent towards his own intellect.

e) He has to gain detachment towards his varied concepts and beliefs.

The Lord says, “That devotee of Mine, who leaves himself to Me and engages himself selflessly in the service of My Cosmic Form, that ‘udaseen bhakta’ is infinitely dear to Me.”

Gatvyatha (गतव्यथ)

Little one, the devotee of the Lord will inevitably be devoid of all sorrow. The Lord’s love abides in his heart, then how can he be affected by any grief?

Little one, understand one fact:

1. Sorrow is a quality of the mind.

2. Sorrow arises out of the ruminations of the mind.

3. If you do not give your mind any time to think, you can never be affected by sorrow.

If the mind is immersed in grief, it becomes sorrowful. If on the other hand you distract your mind from the objects that cause pain and fix it in objects that give happiness, you cannot ever be affected by sorrow. If your mind is fixed on the Lord, sorrow can never touch you. This is what the Lord is trying to explain.

Happiness and sorrow frequent each one’s door; however, the one who is not sorrowful even when beset by every kind of problem and pain, that devotee is infinitely dear to the Lord.

Sarvarambha Parityagi (सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी)

The Lord states that the ‘Sarvarambha Parityagi’ or one who refrains from initiating any new undertaking, is dear to Him. Little one, the Lord has earlier said that it is imperative for the aspirant to engage himself in deeds that are devoid of selfish motive. Then how can one become a Sarvarambha Parityagi?

Little one, such people:

a) do not themselves initiate any new undertakings;

b) do not initiate any actions for personal benefit;

c) do not perform any action for fulfilment of personal desires;

d) do nothing for the establishment of their body self.

No matter what they do in life, they merely fulfil the dreams of others; they work for the fulfilment of others’ desires; others are the recipients of the fruits of their deeds. Such a one protects the honour of every individual who seeks his aid. He renders help to anyone who seeks it. Such a devotee, whilst fulfilling the other’s dreams and aspirations, works only for the establishment of the other.

The Lord states, “Such a devotee is dear to Me.”