Sanskrit
यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः । हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः ॥
yasmān nodvijate loko lokān nodvijate ca yaḥ harṣāmarṣabhayodvegair mukto yaḥ sa ca me priyaḥ
Translation
He from whom the world doth not shrink away, who doth not shrink away from the world, freed from the anxieties of joy, anger, and fear, he is dear to me.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Most of this list describes an inner state; this verse names a social effect instead — the devotee neither disturbs others nor is disturbed by them, a reciprocal criterion rather than a purely internal one. The freedom from joy, anger, and fear as sources of agitation echoes 2.56’s vītarāgabhayakrodhaḥ almost directly, applied here to bhakti rather than to jñāna. Most of the list is inward; this verse names a social effect — the devotee neither disturbs others nor is disturbed by them, a reciprocal criterion. The freedom from harṣa, amarṣa, bhaya echoes BG 2.56’s vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodha, applied here to bhakti.
Study deeper
Word by word
- yasmān nodvijate lokoयस्मान् नोद्विजते लोको
- by whom the world is not disturbed (yasmāt + na + udvijate + lokaḥ)
- lokān nodvijate ca yaḥलोकान् नोद्विजते च यः
- and who is not disturbed by the world (lokāt + na + udvijate + ca + yaḥ)
- harṣāmarṣabhayodvegair mukto yaḥहर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैः मुक्तो यः
- who is free of joy, anger, fear, and agitation (harṣa-amarṣa-bhaya-udvegaiḥ + muktaḥ + yaḥ)
- sa ca me priyaḥस च मे प्रियः
- he too is dear to Me (saḥ + ca + me + priyaḥ)
Commentary
Site Commentary
Every other line in this list describes an internal state; this one describes an effect on other people. It’s a useful correction to keep in view — the marks of a settled mind aren’t only felt privately, they’re also, this verse insists, noticeable in how little disturbance a person leaves behind them.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When you check your own growth, ask both directions this verse names — are you less reactive to others, and are you also less a source of disturbance to them. Most self-assessment only checks the first.
Professional
- In a retro, ask not just how a decision affected you but whether it needlessly unsettled others — a reciprocal standard is a better bar for team conduct than a purely self-focused one.
Family & Social
- When gauging whether you're doing right by your family, ask both sides of this verse's question: are you staying calm around them, and are you also avoiding being a source of needless upset to them.
Ask yourself
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