Bhagavad Gita 12.16
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 16 of 20
अनपेक्षः शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथः।सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥
anapekṣaḥ śucirdakṣa udāsīno gatavyathaḥ|sarvārambhaparityāgī yo madbhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ ||
Unconcerned, pure, capable, uninvolved, without distress, renouncing all self-initiated undertakings — My dear devotee!
Word by word (3)
- anapeṣaḥ śuciḥ dakṣaḥ udāsīnaḥ gata-vyathaḥ
- — without dependence, pure, capable, uninvolved/indifferent, one from whom distress has gone · anapeṣaḥ = without dependence, without want (a = not; apeṣā = expectation, waiting-upon, dependence on others; anapeṣa = one who doesn't depend on others, doesn't pin expectations, doesn't need things from people — autonomous and self-sufficient in spirit). śuciḥ = pure, clean (from √śuc = to shine; śuci = that which shines = pure, cleansed; the purity is both inner — of intention and motive — and outer — of conduct and body). dakṣaḥ = capable, clever, prompt, skilled (from √dakṣ = to be skillful; dakṣa = able, quick, competent; not idle or sloppy but alert and capable). udāsīnaḥ = uninvolved, indifferent, standing apart (ud + āsīna = sitting above/apart; udāsīna = one who sits away from taking sides = a neutral witness, uninvolved in partisan positions; not detachment from love but freedom from partisan reaction). gata-vyathaḥ = one from whom distress has departed (gata = gone, past participle of √gam; vyathā = distress, anguish, pain, perturbation; gata-vyatha = the one for whom distress has already left — not suppressing distress but genuinely free of it as a habitual inner state).
- sarvārambha-parityāgī
- — one who renounces all self-initiated undertakings · sarva = all. ārambha = beginning, initiation, undertaking, enterprise (from ā + √rabh = to grasp, begin; ārambha = the starting-up, the taking-up-of; the word points to self-motivated initiations driven by personal ambition or desire). parityāgī = one who renounces (pari + tyāgī = completely renouncing; tyāgī = renouncer, from √tyaj = to abandon; parityāga = complete abandonment). sarvārambha-parityāgī = one who has given up ALL personal-desire-driven initiations — not that they don't act, but their actions are no longer driven by the ego's need to start things, accumulate, or establish. There's a subtle distinction: they act when needed, but don't 'start projects for MY benefit.' This is the active form of V11's phala-tyāga: not just releasing fruits but not initiating from fruit-desire in the first place. Cf. 18.2: sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṃ prāhus tyāgaṃ vicakṣaṇāḥ.
- yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ
- — who is My devotee — he is dear to Me · This is the third occurrence of the 'sa me priyaḥ' refrain in the portrait (first: V14, second: V15, third: V16). The repetition is significant: in Sanskrit poetry, anuprāsa (word-repetition) creates a rhythmic, almost chant-like quality. Krishna's declaration of love is not said once and assumed — it is reiterated with each cluster of qualities, as if to say: 'THIS person, yes, this one, I love.' The portrait-with-refrains structure is one of the Bhakti Yoga's most distinctive literary features.
He who is free of wants, pure, capable, impartial, and untroubled, who gives up every self-seeking undertaking — such a devotee is dear to Me.
A modern analogy
Like a senior professional who no longer needs to prove themselves — they do excellent work, stay clean in their dealings, don't get drawn into politics (udāsīna), don't nurse grievances (gata-vyatha), and don't launch self-aggrandizing projects. They're present when needed and absent when not. No drama, no territorial claims. That quality of seasoned, drama-free competence is the portrait here.
Sit with this: This verse describes sarvārambha-parityāgī: one who renounces all self-initiated undertakings driven by ego. How do you distinguish between a project initiated from dharmic need versus one initiated from ego-desire? What's the inner felt difference?
Public-domain translations (5) compare all →
He who is free from wants, who is pure, clever, unconcerned, untroubled, renouncing all undertakings — he who is devoted to Me, is dear to Me. [1]
He who is free from dependence, who is pure, prompt, unconcerned, untroubled, renouncing every undertaking — he who is thus devoted to Me, is dear to Me. [4]
Who is not puffed with pride of self, / Nor grieved with gloom of losses; who makes no stir / For outward shows; who moves, content with less— / That man I love! [7]
That devotee of mine, who is unconcerned, pure, assiduous, impartial, free from distress, who abandons all actions (for fruit), he is dear to me. [9]
That devotee of mine who is unconcerned, pure, diligent, unconnected (with worldly objects), and free from distress (of mind), and who renounces every action (for fruit), even he is dear to me. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Sannyāsa = abandoning desire-motivated action; tyāga = abandoning fruits of ALL action — say the learned.
Sitting as a neutral — unmoved by guṇas, knowing 'guṇas act' — firm, unshaken, the pure witness.
Unable even to act for My sake? Then take refuge in Me, abandon all fruits of action — with self-restraint.
Of all yogis, the one whose inner self is merged in Me, worshipping with śraddhā — that one I hold to be most united.
At the end of many births, the wise takes refuge in Me — 'Vāsudeva is all.' That great soul is exceedingly rare.
By bhakti one truly knows what and who I am; then knowing Me truly, one enters into Me immediately.
Verse 16 of 20 · back to Chapter 12