Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12, Verse 16 (BG 12.16) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

This is the third section. This verse sheds further light on the character of the wise devotee. In the two preceding sections, fourteen characteristics of the devotee have been described, and now by presenting these six qualities, the portrait of the devotee is being made even clearer. **The Unattached One** — An ordinary person depends upon external circumstances, places, times, objects, individuals, and situations for their happiness and peace. When they obtain what is dear to them, they experience a fleeting exhilaration. But a true devotee does not depend upon the external world for their happiness, because the source of their inspiration, equanimity, and contentment is the atman dwelling within the heart. **The Pure One** — A true devotee is endowed with both physical purity and inner purity. The devotee who remains conscious of maintaining purity in their relationships with body, mind, and the world even while in the state of spiritual practice becomes the perfected devotee who attains purity. It is a well-known fact that by observing the environment in which a person lives and the condition of their possessions and clothing, one can infer that person's nature, discipline, and culture. In India, great emphasis has been placed upon physical cleanliness and purity in conduct. Without external purity, inner purity alone becomes mere daydreaming or futile hope. **The Skillful One** — Constant vigilance naturally becomes the character of a well-disciplined person. The key to success in any endeavor is enthusiasm. The skillful and capable person is not one who continues to make errors in conduct and action. The skillful devotee is alert in mind and capable in intellect. There is no wastage of mental power in them, and therefore, once they take responsibility for a task upon their shoulders, they remain ever ready for its accomplishment. As we observe, if those called religious have become lazy, careless, and uncouth in their work, we can understand how far Hindu dharma has strayed from its ancient glory. **The Indifferent One** — It is not difficult to find in society many so-called devotees who have surrendered themselves to an unexpressed state of suffering, and the only reason is that someone has betrayed or mistreated them. Such foolish devotees think they will remain indifferent to these wrongs of society. Later, their very devotion becomes a burden of misfortune to them, rather than a true benefit. When philosophy is misunderstood, its end leads to the self-destruction of society. The purpose of indifference is only to prevent the wastage of one's mental powers. In human life, small difficulties, common illnesses, and lack of comforts are natural and ordinary occurrences. To give them excessive importance and to constantly strive day and night for their removal means to remain immersed in the struggle to make circumstances favorable throughout one's life. Here the seeker is taught that in these ordinary circumstances of life, they should not allow their mental power to be wasted in vain, but rather, by remaining indifferent to these events, they should conserve their strength. Small sorrows and sufferings, being impermanent, naturally cease of themselves, and therefore there is no need to worry or struggle for their removal. **The Fearless One** — When a person becomes overwhelmed by desire for a particular object, they are haunted by the fear that their wish may remain unfulfilled. But the wise devotee, being free from all desires, is fearless. **The One Who Renounces All Undertakings** — In Sanskrit, the word "arambha" means action. Therefore, one should not understand "sarvarambha parityagi" to mean a devotee who renounces all actions. Because of this literal interpretation, many Hindus have become unskilled and lazy in performing their duties. Seeing such people, others criticize us, saying that Hindu dharma glorifies idleness as a divine ideal. But this is unjust, because the true meaning of this term has been entirely overlooked. If a person sees themselves as the initiator of an action, it means they regard themselves as the originator of that deed. They should firmly hold the conviction that they themselves have begun this particular action to attain a specific result, by obtaining which they will gain some definite benefit or happiness. The person who is a devotee of the Divine and wishes to attain cultural perfection should perform actions in the world in a spirit of humility, entirely renouncing such pride of authorship and doership. The reality is that in our life, no action is entirely new, with its own independent beginning and end. All actions are encompassed within the eternal work of the entire universe. If one reflects carefully, it becomes clear that all our actions are controlled, regulated, governed, and inspired by the objects and circumstances available in the world. The devotee of the Divine always remains conscious of this unity of the cosmos, and therefore performs actions in the world always as an instrument or means in the hands of the Divine, not as an independent doer of actions. The devotee endowed with these aforementioned virtues is dear to Me. Describing some further characteristics of the devotee, the Lord says: