Bg 13.8-12

Text

amānitvam adambhitvam
ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam
ācāryopāsanaṁ śaucaṁ
sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ

indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam

anahaṅkāra eva ca
janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-
duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam

asaktir anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ

putra-dāra-gṛhādiṣu
nityaṁ ca sama-cittatvam
iṣṭāniṣṭopapattiṣu

mayi cānanya-yogena

bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī
vivikta-deśa-sevitvam
aratir jana-saṁsadi

adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ

tattva-jñānārtha-darśanam
etaj jñānam iti proktam
ajñānaṁ yad ato 'nyathā

Synonyms

amānitvam-humility; adambhitvam-pridelessness; ahiṁsā-nonviolence; kṣāntiḥ-tolerance; ārjavam-simplicity; ācārya-upāsanam-approaching a bona fide spiritual master; śaucam-cleanliness; sthairyam-steadfastness; ātma-vinigrahaḥ-control; iṇdriya-artheṣu-in the matter of the senses; vairāgyam-renunciation; anahaṅkāraḥ-being without false egoism; eva-certainly; ca-also; janma-birth; mṛtyu-death; jarā-old age; vyādhi-disease; duḥkha-distress; doṣa-fault; anudarśanam-observing; asaktiḥ-without attachment; anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ-without association; putra-son; dāra-wife; gṛha-ādiṣu-home, etc.; nityam; ca-also; sama-cittatvam-equilibrium; iṣṭa-desirable; aniṣṭaḥ-undesirable; upapattiṣu-having obtained; mayi-unto Me; ca-also; ananya-yogena-by devotional service; bhaktiḥ-devotion; avyabhicāriṇī-constant, unalloyed; vivikta-solitary; deśa-place; sevitvam-aspiring; aratiḥ-without attachment; jana-people in general; saṁsadi-mass; adhyātma-pertaining to the self; jñāna-knowledge; nityatvam-eternity; tattva-jñāna-knowledge of the truth; artha-the object; darśanam-philosophy; etat-all this; jñānam-knowledge; iti-thus; proktam-declared; ajñānam-ignoraṇce; yat-that which; ataḥ-from this; anyathā-others.

Translation

Humility, pridelessness, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of false ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest, and evenmindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization, and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth-all these I thus declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to these is ignorance.

Purport

As for detachment from children, wife and home, it is not meant that one should have no feeling for these. They are natural objects of affection, but when they are not favorable to spiritual progress, then one should not be attached to them. The best process for making the home pleasant is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If one is in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he can make his home very happy because this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very easy. One need only chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, accept the remnants of foodstuffs offered to Kṛṣṇa, have some discussion on books like Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and engage oneself in Deity worship. These four will make one happy. One should train the members of his family in this way. The family members can sit down morning and evening and chant together Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. If one can mold his family life in this way to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, following these four principles, then there is no need to change from family life to renounced life. But if it is not congenial, not favorable for spiritual advancement, then family life should be abandoned. One must sacrifice everything to realize or serve Kṛṣṇa, just as Arjuna did. Arjuna did not want to kill his family members, but when he understood that these family members were impediments to his Kṛṣṇa realization, he accepted the instruction of Kṛṣṇa and fought and killed them. In all cases, one should be detached from the happiness and distress of family life because in this world one can never be fully happy or fully miserable. Happiness and distress are concommitant factors of material life. One should learn to tolerate, as advised in Bhagavad-gītā. One can never restrict the coming and going of happiness and distress, so one should be detached from the materialistic way of life and be automatically equiposed in both cases. Generally, when we get something desirable, we are very happy, and when we get something undesirable, we are distressed. But if we are actually in the spiritual position, these things will not agitate us. To reach that stage, we have to practice unbreakable devotional service; devotional service to Kṛṣṇa without deviation means engaging oneself in the nine processes of devotional service, chanting, hearing, worshiping, offering respect, etc., as described in the last verse of the Ninth Chapter. That process should be followed. Naturally, when one is adapted to the spiritual way of life, he will not want to mix with materialistic men. That would go against his grain. One may test himself by seeing how far he is inclined to live in a solitary place without unwanted association.