Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14, Verse 25 (BG 14.25) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

# BG 14.25 The portrait of the person transcendent to the three gunas, depicted in the preceding verses, is here clarified further so that we may observe it more closely and subtly. Equanimity in honor and dishonor is the mark of the wise person. The person who has attained firm steadfastness in his divine nature does not fear life, for his perspective in viewing the world differs entirely from that of the ignorant. The ego-centered valuation of life compels us to regard honor as desirable and dishonor as rejectable. Even in worldly life, we observe that those who sacrifice their lives for their nation aspire to a condition that others consider dishonorable. Yet, without heeding the world's honor and dishonor, such people serve their generation with complete enthusiasm and love. When Archimedes discovered the principle of relativity, he did not feel shame running naked through the streets crying "Eureka! Eureka!" But on another day, this would not be so. Honor and dishonor are judgments of the intellect, which change from place to place and time to time. The person who has risen above the level of ego regards both equally—a crown of thorns receives the same welcome as a crown of rose flowers. In the presence of enemies and friends, he remains balanced. Just as we do not regard one part of our body as enemy and another as friend, so too the person who has attained knowledge of the unity of the Self harbors neither friendship nor enmity toward anyone. Yet others may certainly regard him as friend or enemy; he, however, remains equanimous toward both. From the perspective of Self-realization, the wise person knows: all are myself. The one who has renounced all undertakings—"undertaking" means action. This does not mean the person transcendent to the gunas becomes inactive. Rather, it means he has neither the pride of doership nor the motivation of self-interest in his actions. The word "undertaking" encompasses all those actions that are prompted by ego and self-interest in acquiring, accumulating, and establishing ownership over numerous things. For the ignorant being, these actions are natural. The Self-realized person, free from ego, acts in the world inspired by the Divine, as an instrument of God, for the welfare of all. By these characteristics, the person is said to be transcendent to the gunas. In these verses, the answer to Arjuna's second question has been given. Sri Shankaracharya writes in his commentary that the seeker desirous of liberation should adopt these qualities as means of practice. Once steadfastness in knowledge is attained, these qualities become his natural characteristics, self-evident and spontaneous. These are the principal marks of the person transcendent to the gunas. Arjuna's third question was: By what means does he transcend the three gunas? In answering this, the Blessed Lord says—