Verse 14.25
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः | सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते ||२५||
Transliteration (IAST)
mānāpamānayos tulyas tulyo mitrāri-pakṣayoḥ | sarvārambha-parityāgī guṇātītaḥ sa ucyate ||25||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
He who is the same in honor and dishonor, the same toward friend and foe, who has renounced all undertakings - he is said to have transcended the gunas.
Commentary
Shankaracharya explains that 'sarvārambha-parityāgī' means renouncing the sense of doership in all actions, not necessarily external renunciation of activity. The guṇātīta acts but without the ego-sense that 'I am doing this.' Ramanuja interprets this as abandoning all actions motivated by personal desire, while continuing actions dedicated to the Lord. This verse concludes the description of the guṇātīta's characteristics.