Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12, Verse 14 (BG 12.14) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

# BG 12.14 — Commentary on the Characteristics of the Wise Devotee In this final section of the present chapter, the Blessed Lord Sri Krishna describes the characteristics of the wise devotee across six divisions—these serve as the means for seekers to cultivate right conduct and a proper way of life. In depicting a true devotee for Arjuna's understanding, the Lord of Yoga, Sri Krishna, has achieved complete success. Just as a skilled painter, while creating a work, repeatedly views it from different angles to make it ever clearer and more beautiful, so too in this section of seven verses does the Blessed Lord Sri Krishna paint an exceedingly clear and beautiful portrait of the wise devotee's inner beauty, the equanimity of intellect, and conduct in the world. From this perspective, perhaps no other section of the entire Bhagavad Gita equals this passage, save for the section on the characteristics of the person of steady wisdom described in the second chapter. The followers of Hindu dharma have never had rules of righteous conduct and ethics imposed upon them as arbitrary commandments from any son of God or prophet. Rather, these codes of conduct and ethics have been formulated by observing the behavior of those divinely wise and saintly persons who attained spiritual perfection and actually lived such a life in society. The virtuous conduct of the wise has become their very nature, which then serves as a guiding means for seekers to adopt. First, by emulating the outer conduct of the wise devotee, a sincere seeker may come to experience their inner divinity as well. The characteristics of these devotees are the very rules of righteous conduct and ethics established in our dharma. In the opening two verses of this section, eleven ideal qualities are described. Each of these qualities illuminates the moral dimension of the supreme devotee. The devotee who has recognized that one Self alone pervades all beings—which is their own very nature—such a person who perceives the unity of the Self cannot harbor hatred toward anyone, for in their vision of knowledge, nothing exists separate from the Supreme Self. Just as no living person can hate their own right hand, for the Self pervades it too—no one harbors hatred or contempt toward themselves. Their disposition toward all creatures is one of friendship, and their heart overflows with compassion for all. They grant fearlessness to all. They are free from ego and the sense of possessiveness toward objects. They remain equanimous in pleasure and pain, and even when insulted or harmed by others, they remain unmoved. Even when lacking the necessities for sustaining the body, they remain ever content and absorbed in their own bliss. They are self-controlled and possess firm conviction regarding the nature of Truth. The Lord says: My devotee, who offers their mind and intellect to Me, is dear to Me. The Lord had already said in the seventh chapter that the wise are dear to Me, and I am exceedingly dear to the wise devotee. That same teaching is here explained in greater detail.