FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 12.15

यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च य: । हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो य: स च मे प्रिय: ॥ १५ ॥
yasmān nodvijate loko
[yasmaan nodvijate loko]
lokān nodvijate ca yaḥ
[lokaan nodvijate cha yah]
harṣāmarṣa-bhayodvegair
[harshaamarsha-bhayodvegair]
mukto yaḥ sa ca me priyaḥ
[mukto yah sa cha me priyah]
Word-for-word
yasmāt — from whom na — never udvijate — are agitated lokaḥ — people lokāt — from people na — never udvijate — is disturbed ca — also yaḥ — anyone who harṣa — from happiness amarṣa — distress bhaya — fear udvegaiḥ — and anxiety muktaḥ — freed yaḥ — who saḥ — anyone ca — also me — to Me priyaḥ — very dear .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yasmān nodvijate loko
yasmāt
from whom
na
never
udvijate
are agitated
lokaḥ
people
lokān nodvijate ca yaḥ
lokāt
from people
na
never
udvijate
is disturbed
ca
also
yaḥ
anyone who
harṣāmarṣa-bhayodvegair
harṣa
from happiness
amarṣa
distress
bhaya
fear
udvegaiḥ
and anxiety
mukto yaḥ sa ca me priyaḥ
muktaḥ
freed
yaḥ
who
saḥ
anyone
ca
also
me
to Me
priyaḥ
very dear .
Important Words
  • udvijate — is agitated, is disturbed
    From ud-vij, 'to be unsettled, to start in alarm.' Used twice in the verse — both passively (no one is disturbed by him) and actively (he is not disturbed by anyone). The verb defines the verse's two-sided peace.
  • harṣa — elation, excitement
    From hṛṣ, 'to thrill.' First of the four disturbances named. Even pleasant excitement is a wave; the devotee is past wave-motion.
  • amarṣa — resentment, intolerance
    Negation of marṣa (forbearance). The grudge that festers when forbearance fails. The devotee has no such residue.
  • bhaya — fear
    The fundamental contraction of the conditioned soul. The Upaniṣads define mokṣa itself partly as abhayam — fearlessness. Here the bhakta has crossed into that condition.
  • udvegaiḥ — by anxieties
    Plural instrumental. Not one anxiety but the whole class — relational, financial, mortal. From all of them, muktaḥ.
  • muktaḥ — liberated, freed
    Past participle of muc, 'to release.' Same word the Upaniṣads use for the liberated soul. Kṛṣṇa applies the technical term not to a forest renunciate but to one who is simply free of these four agitations.
He by whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anyone, who is equipoised in happiness and distress, fear and anxiety, is very dear to Me.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
The devotee disturbs no one and is disturbed by no one. Inwardly free of the four common turbulences — elation, intolerance, fear, anxiety — he becomes a quiet presence whose stillness is itself dear to Kṛṣṇa.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The verse pairs reciprocity: the world neither flees him nor unsettles him. 'Udvega' is the trembling, the recoil — translated 'anxiety' but meaning a sharper, almost physical agitation. Each of the four afflictions named is a distinct mode of agitation: harṣa (giddy elation), amarṣa (impatience or intolerance), bhaya (fear), udvega (general restlessness). Their absence describes a settled equanimity. The chapter's qualities are thus social as well as inward.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
यस्मात् लोकः न उद्विजते, यः च लोकात् न उद्विजते, यः हर्ष-अमर्ष-भय-उद्वेगैः मुक्तः, सः च मे प्रियः।
yasmāt lokaḥ na udvijate, yaḥ ca lokāt na udvijate, yaḥ harṣa-amarṣa-bhaya-udvegaiḥ muktaḥ, saḥ ca me priyaḥ|
He from whom the world is not agitated, who himself is not agitated by the world, who is freed from elation, intolerance, fear and anxiety — he too is dear to Me.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
यस्मात् न उद्विजते लोकः लोकात् न उद्विजते च यः । हर्ष-अमर्ष-भय-उद्वेगैः मुक्तः यः सः च मे प्रियः ॥
yasmāt na udvijate lokaḥ lokāt na udvijate ca yaḥ | harṣa-amarṣa-bhaya-udvegaiḥ muktaḥ yaḥ saḥ ca me priyaḥ ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
यस्मात् yasmāt rel. pron. (pronoun) abl.sg. (ablative singular)m. from whom
न उद्विजते na udvijate ind. (indeclinable) + उद् + √विज् pres. (present) 3sg.ātm. (ātmanepada / middle voice) is not agitated, does not shrink
लोकः lokaḥ लोक (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) the world, people
लोकात् lokāt लोक (m.) abl.sg. (ablative singular) from the world
च ca ind. (indeclinable) and
यः yaḥ rel. pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. who
हर्ष-अमर्ष-भय-उद्वेगैः harṣa-amarṣa-bhaya-udvegaiḥ हर्ष + अमर्ष + भय + उद्वेग ins.pl. (instrumental plural)m., dvandva cpd. (compound) by joy, impatience, fear, and anxiety
मुक्तः muktaḥ √मुच् p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. freed, released
सः च मे प्रियः saḥ ca me priyaḥ dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. + ind. (indeclinable) + अस्मद् gen./dat.sg. (dative singular) + प्रिय nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. he too is dear to Me
Purport

A few of a devotee’s qualifications are further being described. No one is put into difficulty, anxiety, fearfulness or dissatisfaction by such a devotee. Since a devotee is kind to everyone, he does not act in such a way as to put others into anxiety. At the same time, if others try to put a devotee into anxiety, he is not disturbed. It is by the grace of the Lord that he is so practiced that he is not disturbed by any outward disturbance. Actually because a devotee is always engrossed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and engaged in devotional service, such material circumstances cannot move him. Generally a materialistic person becomes very happy when there is something for his sense gratification and his body, but when he sees that others have something for their sense gratification and he hasn’t, he is sorry and envious. When he is expecting some retaliation from an enemy, he is in a state of fear, and when he cannot successfully execute something he becomes dejected. A devotee who is always transcendental to all these disturbances is very dear to Kṛṣṇa.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
15. He who does not agitate others, nor is agitated by others, he who is free from material emotions such as joy, jealousy, fear and anxiety, is dear to Me.
Commentary

Moreover, it is said: yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ One who has unflinching devotion for the Personality of Godhead has all the good qualities of the demigods. SB 5.18.12 By this statement it is understood that other qualities which please the Lord also automatically appear by the constant performance of bhakti to Me. Please hear about these. Five verses describe these qualities. The qualities mentioned here—being freed from material jubilation, anger, fear and anxiety—are mentioned again in verse 17 in order to show the difficulty in becoming free from those elements.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
15. He who does not agitate others, nor is agitated by others, he who is free from material emotions such as joy, jealousy, fear and anxiety, is dear to Me.
Commentary

From him no one receives disturbance due to fear. Because he is compassionate to all, he does not act to cause distress to others. Also, others do not act to cause distress to him, because they know he is not hostile to anyone. Joy, jealousy, fear and anxiety, causes of disturbance, give him up. He does not have to do anything himself to avoid them. Because he is absorbed in relishing the profundity of ātmā, he is not touched by these emotions at all. Joy (harṣa) means eagerness at the acquisition of something enjoyable for oneself. Envy (amarṣa) means intolerance of others attaining enjoyable items. Fear (bhaya) is alarm caused by seeing some unfortunate conditions. Anxiety (udvega) is the disturbance caused by thinking, “How can I survive without doing something?” These four are states of consciousness.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Translation
He for whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anyone, who is equipoised in happiness and distress, fear and anxiety, is very dear to Me.
Commentary

The devotees are detached so the demons don't have fear of them because the devotees will not take away whatever they posses.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Never causes distress to others

8. Not get affected – Because a devotee is always engrossed in Krishna consciousness, material

circumstances cannot move him, not disturbed by anyone

Such a stage is obtained by grace of Lord to the Devotee

9. Does not affect others – No-one is put into anxiety, difficulty, fearfulness or dissatisfaction by such a

devotee, because he is kind to everyone

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION III

The characteristics mentioned here are not independent of Bhakti. They automatically result from

surrender to Krishna

These qualities fall in two categories – Essential (Svarupa-laksanam) and Ancillary (Tatastha-laksanam)
All the qualities mentioned are Ancillary, except the most important “Bhaktiman” – Devotional service to the Lord(Essential Quality)
Therefore all these qualities result from mind and intelligence fixed on Krishna (Devotional Service)
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
12.15 Sah ca, he too; yasmat, owing to whom owing to which monk; lokah, the world; na udvijate, is not disturbed, not afflicted, not agitated; so also, yah na udvijate, he who is not disturbed; lokat, by the world; muktah, who is free; harsa-amarsa-bhaya-udvegaih, from joy, impatience, fear and anxiety;-harsa is elation of the mind on aciring a thing dear to oneself, and is manifested as horripillation, shedding of tears, etc.; amarsa is non-forbearance; bhaya is fright; udvega is distress; he who is free from them-, is priyah, dear; me, to Me.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
12.15 That person who is engaged in Karma Yoga does not become the cause of 'fear to the world'; he does nothing to cause fear to the world. He has no cause to 'fear the world,' i.e., no action on the part of others can cause him fear because of the certainty that he is not inimical to the world. Therefore he is not in the habit of showing favour towards someone and intolerance towards others; he has no fear of some or repulsion for others. Such a person is dear to Me.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
12.15 See Comment under 12.20
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
12.15 He by whom the world is not agitated and who cannot be agitated by the world, and who is freed from joy, anger, fear and anxiety he is dear to Me.
Commentary

12.15 यस्मात् for whom? न not? उद्विजते is agitated? लोकः the world? लोकात् from the world? न not? उद्विजते is agitated? च and? यः who? हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैः by (from) joy? wrath? fear and anxiety? मुक्तः freed? यः who? सः he? च and? मे to Me? प्रियः dear.Commentary Harsha Joy? exhilaration of the mind when one obtains an object of desire. This is indicated by hair standing on end? tears flowing down the face? etc.Amarsha Anger. Some say that it is a mixture of jealousy and anger.Udvega Anxiety? worry? sorrow? discomfiture.The knower of Brahman or the devotee of the Lord never injures any creature in thought? word and deed. He gives security of life to all creatures. Therefore? no creature is afraid of him. The sage feels that the world is his body? his own Self. How can he be afraid of the world then He never hurts others and is not hurt by the words or deeds of others.The mental modifications of joy? envy? fear and anxiety leave the sage or devotee of their own accord? just as the beasts and birds leave the forest when it is on fire.Such a sage or devotee is dear to Me. How can I describe him

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
12.15 He, too, owing to whom the world is not disturbed, and who is not disturbed by the world, who is free from joy, impatience, fear and anxiety, is dear to Me.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
12.15 He who does not harm the world, and whom the world cannot harm, who is not carried away by any impulse of joy, anger or fear, such a one is My beloved.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Arjava (Simplicity / Straightforwardness)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 2.56 BG 5.20 BG 14.25 SB 4.22.24 SB 11.11.29 SB 11.26.27 CC Madhya 22.78 CC Madhya 22.79 CC Antya 20.21 Īśa Upaniṣad 6 BRS 1.3.25
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
He by whom the world is not disturbed and who is not disturbed by the world — free from joy, envy, fear, anxiety — is dear to Me.
Practical Applications
  • Audit the bidirectional flow: do I disturb others; am I disturbed by others?
  • Address whichever direction is more problematic.
  • Treat both as part of the same imbalance.
Reflection Questions
  • Whom in my life do I disturb without realizing?
  • Whose disturbances unsettle me?
Analogy

A great rock in a river: the water bends around it without harm, and the rock is not moved by the water. So the devotee — neither he troubles the world, nor does the world's turbulence shake him. Fear, anxiety, elation, resentment all flow past; he stands. Kṛṣṇa says: such a rock in My river is dear to Me.

Stories
Bhīṣma on the bed of arrows

Pierced by his own grand-disciple's arrows, lying on the field for fifty-eight days waiting for the auspicious moment to die, Bhīṣma neither cursed Arjuna nor lamented his fate. He spoke at length to Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma; he conversed with the assembled sages; he greeted Kṛṣṇa with steady eyes.

He disturbed no one; nothing disturbed him. Harṣa (elation at his great life), amarṣa (resentment at his wounds), bhaya (fear of death), udvega (anxiety about the future) — all four had released him. Kṛṣṇa Himself stood at his side as he departed, evidence enough of the priyaḥ this verse promises.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 12