Chapter 12, Verse 17
यो न हृष्यति न द्वेष्टि न शोचति न काङ्क्षति | शुभाशुभपरित्यागी भक्तिमान्यः स मे प्रियः ||१२-१७||
yo na hṛṣyati na dveṣṭi na śocati na kāṅkṣati . śubhāśubhaparityāgī bhaktimānyaḥ sa me priyaḥ ||12-17||
Meaning
12.17 He who neither rejoices, nor hates, nor grieves, nor desires, renouncing good and evil, and who is full of devotion, is dear to Me.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna names the four reactions through which desire and aversion bind us: rejoicing at the pleasant, hating the unpleasant, grieving over loss, craving what is absent. The dear devotee is free of all four (na hṛṣyati na dveṣṭi na śocati na kāṅkṣati). His happiness does not rise and fall with fortune, for it draws from a deeper, steadier source.
To renounce "good and evil" (śubha-aśubha-parityāgī) does not mean abandoning morality, but ceasing to be tossed by the agreeable and disagreeable, and acting without anxious attachment to outcomes. Crucially, this serenity is not cold detachment — it is paired with bhaktimān, full of devotion. Equanimity and love together mark the soul that is dear to God.
💡 Key Takeaway
Rise above rejoicing, hating, grieving, and craving — while keeping the heart full of devotion.
Related Verses
अर्जुन उवाच | एवं सततयुक्ता ये भक्तास्त्वां पर्युपासते | ये चाप्यक्षरमव्यक्तं तेषां के योगवित्तमाः ||१२-१||
arjuna uvāca . evaṃ satatayuktā ye bhaktāstvāṃ paryupāsate . ye cāpyakṣaramavyaktaṃ teṣāṃ ke yogavittamāḥ ||12-1||
12.1 Arjuna said Those devotees who, ever steadfast, thus worship Thee and those also who worship the imperishable and the unmanifested which of them are better versed in Yoga?
श्रीभगवानुवाच | मय्यावेश्य मनो ये मां नित्ययुक्ता उपासते | श्रद्धया परयोपेताः ते मे युक्ततमा मताः ||१२-२||
śrībhagavānuvāca . mayyāveśya mano ye māṃ nityayuktā upāsate . śraddhayā parayopetāḥ te me yuktatamā matāḥ ||12-2||
12.2 The Blessed Lord said Those who, fixing their mind on Me, worship Me, ever steadfast and endowed with supreme faith, are the best in Yoga in My opinion.
सन्नियम्येन्द्रियग्रामं सर्वत्र समबुद्धयः | ते प्राप्नुवन्ति मामेव सर्वभूतहिते रताः ||१२-४||
sanniyamyendriyagrāmaṃ sarvatra samabuddhayaḥ . te prāpnuvanti māmeva sarvabhūtahite ratāḥ ||12-4||
12.4 Having restrained all the senses, even-minded everywhere, intent on the welfare of all beings verily they also come unto Me.