Freedom grows when envy and outcome-dependence fall.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
यदृच्छालाभसन्तुष्टो द्वन्द्वातीतो विमत्सरः |समः सिद्धावसिद्धौ च कृत्वापि न निबध्यते ||४-२२||
yadṛcchālābhasantuṣṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ . samaḥ siddhāvasiddhau ca kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate ||4-22||
Use this verse when comparison or jealousy rises.
Meaning
Content with what comes naturally, beyond dualities, free from envy, and equal in success and failure, one acts yet is not bound.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Contentment, freedom from envy, and balance make action free.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This verse is a complete emotional formula for unbound action. The person is not passive, but they are not jealous, restless, or dependent on outcomes. They accept what comes through honest effort and remain balanced in achievement or failure. For modern life, this is an antidote to comparison culture and performance anxiety.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna deepens the portrait of the free soul with practical, recognizable traits. He is content with yadṛcchā-lābha — whatever comes unsought, of its own accord — rather than restlessly chasing more. He has risen above the dvandvas, the pairs of opposites like pleasure and pain, gain and loss, that keep most minds swinging. And he is vimatsara — free of the corroding envy that compares and resents.
Most telling is samaḥ siddhāv asiddhau ca — equanimity in success and failure alike. Because his peace is not pinned to outcomes, neither triumph elates nor defeat crushes him. Such a person, kṛtvā api na nibadhyate — even while acting, is never bound. This is the lived signature of freedom: not withdrawal from life's events, but a steady inner balance that no external swing can disturb.
In daily life
Practice honest effort with contentment and no comparison.
A student can prepare sincerely without comparing every score with classmates.
Try this today
When comparison arises, bless the other person and return to your duty.
I stay balanced, content, and free from envy.Reflect
Where does envy disturb my peace?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘सिद्धौ असिद्धौ च’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on balance, in other chapters
- Verse 2.48Equanimity — being balanced in success and failure alike — is not just a nice quality; it is the very definition of yoga.
- Verse 6.7Inner peace is steady when praise and blame, comfort and discomfort, no longer disturb the calm at your center.
- Verse 13.10Love your people and possessions with open hands, keeping an even mind through both fortune and loss.
- Verse 10.5Cultivating virtues like non-violence and contentment is really aligning yourself with their Divine source.
Swipe left for 4.23 · Offering plus knowledge dissolves bondage.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 4.22
Who says Bhagavad Gita 4.22, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 4.22, in Chapter 4, Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga (Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 4.22 mean?
Content with what comes naturally, beyond dualities, free from envy, and equal in success and failure, one acts yet is not bound. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 4.22 for daily life?
Practice honest effort with contentment and no comparison. A student can prepare sincerely without comparing every score with classmates.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 4.22 mean?
यदृच्छा-लाभ-सन्तुष्टः — content with what comes unsought; द्वन्द्व-अतीतः — free from the pairs of opposites; विमत्सरः — free from envy; समः — even-minded; सिद्धौ असिद्धौ च — in success and failure.
Where does verse 4.22 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 22 of 42 in Chapter 4, Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 4.23.