Chapter 12 Shloka 17

यो न हृष्यति न द्वेष्टि न शोचति न कांक्षति ।

शुभाशुभपरित्यागी भक्तिमान्य: स मे प्रिय: ।।१७।।

He who is free from elation and hatred,

who neither grieves nor desires anything,

who transcends both good and evil,

that man replete with devotion

is indeed dear to Me.

Chapter 12 Shloka 17

यो न हृष्यति न द्वेष्टि न शोचति न कांक्षति ।

शुभाशुभपरित्यागी भक्तिमान्य: स मे प्रिय: ।।१७।।

Describing the other signs of His dear bhakta, the Lord says:

He who is free from elation and hatred, who neither grieves nor desires anything, who transcends both good and evil, that man replete with devotion is indeed dear to Me.

Harsh (हर्ष)

The Lord repeats that His devotee is not given to elation. Earlier it has been explained that elation springs from the procurement of an external sense object.

The connotation of harsh:

1. An excess of delight;

2. Swaying with joy;

3. Extreme pleasure at the attainment of any object which gives happiness;

4. Ecstasy;

5. To be enraptured.

Little one, that devotee who is dear to the Lord, delights only in the Lord. He considers all that he receives to be the Lord’s gift to him. He is satiated in himself and unmindful of what the world gives or does not give to him. He is not influenced by his organs of knowledge or action.

Little one, he delights in the joy of others and, so to say, laments at the others’ sorrow. However, his true pleasure lies in his union with his Divine Beloved. That Beloved resides within him and is his very Self. Pleasure or the absence of it have no meaning for him.

Dvesh (द्वेष)

The true devotee bears no hatred towards anyone.

1. He despises none.

2. He is not inimical to anybody.

3. He does not oppose anyone.

4. He does not scorn anyone.

5. He does not lack in sympathy and understanding towards anybody.

6. He does not turn away from anybody.

7. Non-acceptance or desertion of another is unthinkable for such a devotee.

8. He dislikes nobody.

9. He does not tire of anybody, nor does he seek to disassociate from anybody.

10. He does not wish anyone harm.

11. He does not consider anyone to be despicable or inferior.

12. He bears no antipathy even towards those who are hard hearted and merciless.

13. He does not detest even oppressors and evil doers.

Little one, true devotees of the Lord:

a) do not bear any aversion to any situation;

b) do not bear any aversion to any individual;

c) do not bear any aversion to any quality or attribute;

d) have no aversion to receiving even personal insults or slander.

Little one, such people do not pursue what they like. They are well-wishers of all. If confronted by two opposite types of people – one evil, tyrannical, merciless, brimming with desires and all the demonic qualities, and the other gentle, hospitable and replete with noble qualities, such a one will most likely choose to keep the former by his side. For then, he will himself endure the direct onslaught of the former’s natural (negative) qualities and thus save others from his assaults.

Little one, the natural temperament of such a one impels him to perform beneficial deeds for all.

a) He extinguishes the other’s sorrow.

b) He gives joy to all.

c) His deeds are beneficial to all.

It therefore appears as if he prefers the company of those who cause him discomfort and trouble.

Na Shochati (नशोचति)

‘Shoch’ connotes regret, lamentation, grief, worry, internal turbulence, offering condolence, becoming depressed, becoming sad, wailing.

Little one, where is the place within the heart of a devotee for harbouring grief? He has just one mind that can focus only on one object at a time.

1.   The devotee’s mind is ever focused on his Divine Beloved and absorbed in Him.

2.   His mind is constantly engaged in conversation with Him.

3.   His mind is ever immersed in appreciation of the attributes of his Beloved Lord.

The entire universe is His Beloved Lord’s manifestation.

a) Therefore, he never criticises or blames anyone.

b) He never bears a grudge against anyone.

c) He can never harbour grief within his mind.

The devotee obeys His Lord’s injunctions to the letter. Therefore he believes that since all qualities are interacting between themselves, no blame can be attributed to anyone. No matter what has happened, it is the Lord’s doing. So sorrow, worry, grief and anxiety become meaningless.

Na Kankshati (नकांक्षति)

Akanksha connotes – to desire, covet, harbour hopes and expectations, to await expectantly, to yearn for.

Little one,

a) The Lord’s devotee does not desire any object.

b) He has no experience of anything lacking in life; then how can he desire the fulfilment of any lack?

c) What expectation can such a devotee have from the world?

He who has no desire for anything from the world, has no cause for any craving.

Shubh Ashubh Parityaagi (शुभअशुभ परित्यागी)

The devotee has no personal desire, so he is not impelled into action by any personal motive. Since his mind is irrevocably fixed in the Lord, he is not attached to any of the deeds he performs.

1. Actions devoid of attachment are akarmas.

2. Any action performed with the attitude of renunciation of the fruit is akarma.

3. Each action devoid of personal motive is indeed akarma.

4. Each action performed with selflessness is akarma.

A devotee’s actions are, in any case, guided purely by destiny and the prevalent situation. They occur spontaneously. Someone approaches him, out of the blue as it were, and the devotee engages himself in his service, taking him to be a manifestation of the Lord. Having no desire of his own, the devotee has no wish to do good or evil, hence one can say that he has transcended both.

The Lord says, “Such a devotee is infinitely dear to Me. “

Love

Now understand the love of the devotee. Little one, remember that the Lord:

a) is referring to that devotee who is extremely dear to Him;

b) is referring to that devotee for whom the Lord is his dearest and most beloved one;

c) is referring to that devotee for whom the Lord is the only One worthy of attainment;

d) is referring to that devotee for whom the Lord is the only One worth knowing;

e) is referring to that devotee who remains absorbed in the Lord’s thoughts at all times and who desires nothing other than his Lord.

Such a devotee seeks nothing from the Lord except the privilege to love Him.

1. The nature of Love is such that it never seeks anything for itself.

2. The one who loves only seeks to give of himself and all that he possesses to his Beloved.

3. He seeks only to bring pleasure to his Beloved.

4. He seeks to bring honour to his Beloved, even if it means the destruction of his own good name.

5. The one who loves, seeks to establish his Beloved, even though it may mean the annihilation of his own entity.

6. One who loves does not even seek to possess his Beloved.

7. He worships his Beloved in silence.

8. His fervent wish is never to be a slur on his Beloved’s name.

9. The one who loves becomes an embodiment of the attributes of his Beloved.

The one who loves never mentions the name of his Beloved before anyone. Not because he is shy to do so, but because he is afraid that he himself may bring disgrace on his Beloved through his deeds

Some natural attributes of a true aspirant

The true aspirant:

a) does not mention the name of his Beloved before anybody;

b) does not exhibit his spiritual practice before others;

c) does not use the name of his Beloved to facilitate the transaction of any business;

d) does not let anyone know his own personal state;

e) converses with his Beloved in solitude;

f) makes constant endeavours to understand his divine Beloved;

g) endeavours to imbibe the attributes of his Beloved in his own life;

h) seems most ordinary in his daily life. However, he is, in fact, most extraordinary because he is a practicant of the divine attributes;