The perfectional stage of spiritual life, which one can experience even while being in the material world, is described by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Twelfth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā. There it is said that one who is not envious of any living entity, who is friendly, merciful and detached from material possessions, who is situated in his pure identity, without any false conception of the body as the self, who is equipoised in both happiness and distress, who is forgiving, always satisfied, always engaged in devotional service, and always surrendered unto the Supreme Lord with his body and mind—such a devotee is very dear to Kṛṣṇa. A devotee who never gives trouble to any living entity, either by his body or his mind, who is never affected by material distress and happiness, and who is never angry or pleased with anything material is very dear to the Supreme Lord.
BG 12.13-14 advesta sarva-bhutanam... cited
Expressions researched:
"One who is not envious"
|"advesta sarva-bhutanam"
|"is a kind friend to all living entities"
|"mad-bhaktah sa me priyah"
|"maitrah karuna eva ca"
|"mayy arpita-mano-buddhiryo"
|"nirmamo nirahankarah"
|"sama-duhkha-sukhah ksami"
|"santustah satatam yogi"
|"such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me"
|"who is equal in both happiness and distress"
|"yatatma drdha-niscayah"
Bhagavad-gita As It Is
BG Chapters 7 - 12
One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is tolerant, always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in devotional service with determination, his mind and intelligence fixed on Me—such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.
Coming again to the point of pure devotional service, the Lord is describing the transcendental qualifications of a pure devotee in these two verses. A pure devotee is never disturbed in any circumstances. Nor is he envious of anyone. Nor does a devotee become his enemy's enemy; he thinks, "This person is acting as my enemy due to my own past misdeeds. So it is better to suffer than to protest." In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.8) it is stated: tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam. Whenever a devotee is in distress or has fallen into difficulty, he thinks that it is the Lord's mercy upon him. He thinks, "Thanks to my past misdeeds I should suffer far, far greater than I am suffering now. So it is by the mercy of the Supreme Lord that I am not getting all the punishment I am due. I am just getting a little, by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Therefore he is always calm, quiet and patient, despite many distressful conditions. A devotee is also always kind to everyone, even to his enemy. Nirmama means that a devotee does not attach much importance to the pains and trouble pertaining to the body because he knows perfectly well that he is not the material body. He does not identify with the body; therefore he is freed from the conception of false ego and is equipoised in happiness and distress. He is tolerant, and he is satisfied with whatever comes by the grace of the Supreme Lord. He does not endeavor much to achieve something with great difficulty; therefore he is always joyful. He is a completely perfect mystic because he is fixed in the instructions received from the spiritual master, and because his senses are controlled he is determined. He is not swayed by false arguments, because no one can lead him from the fixed determination of devotional service. He is fully conscious that Kṛṣṇa is the eternal Lord, so no one can disturb him. All these qualifications enable him to fix his mind and intelligence entirely on the Supreme Lord. Such a standard of devotional service is undoubtedly very rare, but a devotee becomes situated in that stage by following the regulative principles of devotional service. Furthermore, the Lord says that such a devotee is very dear to Him, for the Lord is always pleased with all his activities in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Madhya-lila
“‘One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is always satisfied, forgiving and self-controlled, and who is engaged in devotional service with determination, his mind and intelligence dedicated to Me—such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.
One should not be jealous of members of other castes or nations. It is not that only Indians or brāhmaṇas can become Vaiṣṇavas. Anyone can become a Vaiṣṇava. Therefore one should recognize that the bhakti cult must be spread all over the world. That is real adveṣṭā. Moreover, the word maitra, "friendly," indicates that one who is able to preach the bhakti cult all over the world should be equally friendly to everyone. These two and the following six verses were spoken by Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (12.13–20).
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Teachings of Lord Caitanya
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Nitāi: Translation: "One who is not envious but who is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied and engaged in devotional service with determination and whose mind and intelligence are in agreement with Me—he is very dear to Me."
Prabhupāda:
- adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ
- maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca
- nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ
- sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ kṣamī
- (BG 12.13)
- santuṣṭaḥ satataṁ yogī
- yatātmā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ
- mayy arpita-mano-buddhir
- yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ
- (BG 8.7)
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means how to become dear to Kṛṣṇa: "How Kṛṣṇa will love me." Kṛṣṇa loves. Kṛṣṇa says that He is no one's enemy and no one's friend. That is in neutrality. But He says, ye tu bhajanti māṁ bhaktyā teṣu te mayi, samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu (BG 9.29). (aside:) That talking, stop. Samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ. God must be equal to everyone. He is neither envious to anyone nor friendly to anyone. This is general. But there is special significance. Ye tu bhajanti māṁ bhaktyā: "Persons who are engaged in devotional service with love and faith," teṣu te mayi, "I have got a special intimate relation with him."
It is not partiality. Just like if a gentleman has got five sons, and out of the five sons, those who are very obedient to the father or one of them, two of them, naturally the father is inclined to them. That is not partiality, that "Why the father is inclined to some sons and other sons, indifferent?" That is natural. As we have got this natural instinct, similarly, God has also the same instinct. If we study ourself analytically, we can understand what is God. Because we are the sample of God. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Sample.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "One who is actually devotee and wants to be very dear to Me, his qualifications must be adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānām: we must be non-envious to all living entities."
Nowadays a fashion has become, daridra-nārāyaṇa-sevā. This is nonsense. What is the daridra-nārāyaṇa-sevā? Why you are taking care of the daridras? If you have got such vision, such outlook, that in everyone's heart... That is a fact. Everyone's heart there is Nārāyaṇa. There is no denial. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati: (BG 18.61) "Īśvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is situated in everyone's heart." If you have got such vision—you are seeing in everyone the Supreme Nārāyaṇa—then why should you designate only the daridras? Others also, you should see dog-nārāyaṇa. You should see kukkura-nārāyaṇa. Why daridra-nārāyaṇa?
If you have got such broad vision, why you are taking particular? That is imperfect vision. You cannot send the chāga-nārāyaṇa, goat-nārāyaṇa, to the slaughterhouse and allow the daridra-nārāyaṇa to eat the meat. This is not bhakta's business. This is demonic. Bhakta's business is... Here it is clearly stated, adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānām. You should be equally kind to everyone, to the daridras, to the dhanīs also. Here everyone is daridra because everyone is lacking knowledge. So nobody is rich. Here the so-called rich is also daridra because he has no knowledge. And the so-called daridra is also daridra.
That is wanted. So everything is described very nicely in the Bhagavad-gītā. Do not misinterpret foolishly. Try to understand as it is and your life will be successful. This is our propaganda, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. And it is being accepted all over the world.
So here Kṛṣṇa says that adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānām. You should not be envious to any living entity. But the present civilization is to become envious, envious. I do not wish to criticize anyone, but this enviousness is the basis... This nationalism means... This is also enviousness. "Why foreigners will come here?" This is enviousness. Why not? Who is foreigner and who is national? Everyone is son of God. Why should you distinguish? But because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this discrimination between man to man, animal to man, and so many discrimination... Even taking from the national point of view, national means anyone who is born in that country. But because one happens to be animal, although it is national, still, it is sent to the slaughterhouse, because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
If there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the government or the leaders would be equally favorable to the man, to the animals, to the trees, to the plants, to the insects, to the... Everyone. That is called kṛṣṇa-bhakti or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ. Treat them just like your friend, maitraḥ. A devotee is friend to everyone. He does not want to kill even an ant or a mosquito. That is devotee, maitraḥ, to everyone friendly. Maitraḥ karuṇaḥ. Karuṇaḥ means kind. A devotee is kind to everyone.
It is not that Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be spread in India or amongst the brāhmaṇas or amongst the Hindus. No. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person will preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, as far as possible. That is called karuṇaḥ. Adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca, nirmamaḥ. Nirmama means without claiming any personal proprietorship or any nepotism. Nirmama. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. That is the fact. Kṛṣṇa says bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He is the proprietor. God is actually proprietor of everything. Why shall I shall claim "This is mine"? Nothing belongs to me. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ (BG 12.13). Nirahaṅkāra means this false egotism: "I am this body," "I am Indian," "American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim." No. Nirahaṅkāra means "I am Kṛṣṇa's servant." That is nirahaṅkāra.
Ahaṅkāra. Ahaṅkāra means my identification, what I am. That is called ahaṅkāra. Now my identity is with this material world. "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am this," "I am that." That should be negativated. We must come to the right conclusion that "I belong to Kṛṣṇa, I am the son of Kṛṣṇa, I do not belong to anyone." This is called nirahaṅkāra. Sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ. This material happiness and distress. Because I am not this material body, if I am actually convinced, so the pains and pleasure of this material world is due to this body.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Sarva-karma-tyāga. Where is Girirāja? These boys collecting not less than thirty thousand per month, but not a single farthing for him. This is sarva-karma-phala. Is there any man, businessman?
Mr. Sar: Yes, yes. He stays in utter poverty.
Dr. Patel: Sarva-karma-phala-tyāgam eva.
Prabhupāda: He does not care for his body even.
Mr. Sar: Yes, he does not care.
Prabhupāda: I forced him to go to U.S.A. and get...
Dr. Patel: I invited him to stay in my house, but he said that he won't come.
Prabhupāda: No, no, he is not interested for his person.
Dr. Patel: We have invite him. When he is ill, he may stay with me. We may have a little sat-saṅga.
Prabhupāda: But he is sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ. Why he should be concentrated one?
Mr. Sar: Adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānām.
Prabhupāda: Ah, adveṣṭā. It is not, "I am Hindu. Why shall I preach amongst the Christian?" The dveṣṭā.
Dr. Patel: Adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānām.
Prabhupāda: But one has to become adveṣṭā. This is adveṣṭā.
Dr. Patel: Maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca, nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ kṣamī (BG 12.13).
Prabhupāda: Now, some of these Māyāvādī sannyāsīs accuse me that "Bhaktivedanta Swami is spoiling our Hindu religion." Means dveṣṭā. They do not like Christians. They do not like Mohammedans. But I am accepting Mohammedans, Christian, any damn rascal: "Come on. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa."
Mr. Sar: And be a brāhmaṇa.
Prabhupāda: This is adveṣṭā. (break) ...envious of Christian.
Dr. Patel: Nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ...
Prabhupāda: Why you should be?
Dr. Patel: ...santuṣṭaḥ satataṁ yogī yatātmā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ, mayy-arpita-mano-buddhir (BG 8.7).
Prabhupāda: Yes. (laughs)
Mr. Sar: Ye... (Hindi)
Prabhupāda: We cannot change. Therefore yesterday I said, "Why shall I go to...?"
Dr. Patel and Mr. Sar: Yasmān nodvijate loko lokān nodvijate ca yaḥ, harṣāmarṣa-bhayodvegair.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Dr. Patel: You are firing us. (laughs)
Prabhupāda: For your good. For your good. Even if I fire you, for your good.
Dr. Patel: (laughing) I was able to come to this point. That is why I asked them to arrange for this meeting. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...father fires son, it is not envious. Adveṣṭā, he... That is adveṣṭā.
Dr. Patel: Anapekṣaḥ śucir dakṣa.
Prabhupāda: Anapekṣaḥ, just see. When I went to Europe, America, I went with forty rupees. The Sumati Morarji gave me a ticket, and I had only forty rupees. That forty rupees could not be spent there. Then, when I was getting down, I asked the captain, "Captain Pandia," that "I have not a single dollar with me. So you purchase one set of my books." "So what is... Swami, what is your price?" "Sixteen dollar." He paid me twenty dollars. With that twenty dollars, I dropped.
Prabhupāda: No, no. Paramparā. He says, "As soon as this paramparā was lost, the Bhagavad-gītā was lost." Naṣṭaḥ, it is said, naṣṭaḥ. "Therefore I am taking you again as paramparā." You see? If you do not accept...
Dr. Patel: What you say... I mean... Listen. This is one of the way of seeing things.
Prabhupāda: No, no, no, you see... open, open (indistinct)
Dr. Patel: Kṛṣṇa is so multifarious and so multiple energies He has got that only ekasmin...
Prabhupāda: No, no, here it is said, in the Fourth... This is Fourth Chapter?
Dr. Patel: No, this is Twelfth Chapter. I am reading the common features of all the sādhus. Adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca, nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ, nirahaṅkāraḥ (BG 12.13). We must have (Sanskrit)
Prabhupāda: No, that is ahaṅkāra, that "I have got my own interpretation." That is ahaṅkāra.
Dr. Patel: But you say your own interpretation also. That is also ahaṅkāra, sir.
Prabhupāda: No, no. I am taking the interpretation of Kṛṣṇa.
Dr. Patel: He must be also taking in that way.
Prabhupāda: No, no.
Dr. Patel: With all my due respect, sir, well, we must have some sort of forbearance for others' views.
Prabhupāda: No, no. Because if we have got to preach, we cannot make any compromise.
Dr. Patel: You feel that way, we have no objection. But we should also respect somebody else's views.
Prabhupāda: No, we have got all respect, but not unnecessary respect.
Correspondence
1973 Correspondence
So that surrendering to Krishna, that is great soul. Now you may enquire, what is that surrendering? Surrendering to Krishna means to try to please Him only, by our serving mood. Just like if I want to please you, or someone else, they will appreciate me by my serving their desires, that will give them pleasure. So if we want to please Krishna, He is kind enough to give us the formula how to please Him in Bhagavad-Gita, so if we are intelligent we shall follow the instructions and orders of Krishna as He gives them, that is pleasing Krishna, that is surrender. If I say, Yes, I like rasagulas, I like this type of incense, I like this and that—so if you bring me rasagulas, that incense, like that, that will be pleasing to me, will it not? But Krishna is not so rascal as me, He wants only little flower, some water, that's all, but main thing He wants is our devotion, nothing more:
- manmana bhava mad-bhakto
- mad-yaji mam namaskuru
- mam evaisyasi satyam te
- pratijane priyo'si me.
- (BG 18.65)
"Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend." So to become the friend and the devotee of Krishna, that is required. Just become the pet dog, that is surrender.
What is that friendship? At the end of 12th Chapter of Gita Krishna describes that the person "who is very dear to Him, or His best friend, is one who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied and engaged in devotional service with determination and whose mind and intelligence are in agreement with Me . . . He for whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anxiety, who is steady in happiness and distress . . . A devotee who is not dependent on the ordinary course of activities, who is pure, expert, without cares, free from all pains, and who does not strive for some result . . . One who neither grasps pleasure or grief, who neither laments nor desires, and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things . . . One who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equipoised in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who is always free from contamination, always silent and satisfied with anything who doesn't care for any residence, who is fixed in knowledge and engaged in devotional service . . ." such person is described by Krishna as "very dear to Me."
But even more dear than such devotee who is dear to Krishna, one who is "very, very dear to Me," is "He who follows this imperishable path of devotional service and who completely engages himself with faith, making Me the supreme goal," and also "one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees," . . or one who is preaching the message of Krishna to the devotees everywhere—such person is most highly regarded by Krishna as His best friend and devotee:
- bahunam janmanam ante
- jnanavan mam prapadyate
- vasudevah sarvam iti
- sa mahatma sudurlabhah
- (BG 7.19)
"After many births and deaths, he who is actually wise surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare." Again Krishna uses the word mahatma, great soul. So these are not ordinary boys and girls, our devotees, that you have met, no. They are to be considered as actually wise, great souls, because they have experienced in so many births the miserable disease of material life and they have become disgusted. Therefore they are seeking higher knowledge, something better, and when they find Krishna and surrender unto Him, they become mahatma, actually in knowledge. This material world is just like a prison-house, a punishing place just to bring us to that point of becoming disgusted and surrendering at last to Krishna, going back to my original mature of eternal life of bliss and complete knowledge. So these devotees, that is their credit, they have done what is "very rare" amongst all men in the human society, sudurlabhah, very rare. So after surrendering to Krishna, that will be the final receptable for investing his love: in God. If somehow or other anyone develops their dormant love of God—love of god is present there in everyone, just like fire is there in the unlit match, covered-over—if Krishna becomes the Supreme Adorable Objectality, the Supreme Friend, the Supreme Master, the Supreme Lover—then, oh, he shall never again become disappointed or unhappy. Rather, because his loving propensity is rightfully placed,
- mac-citta mad-gata-prana, bodhayantah parasparam
- kathayantas ca mam nityam, tusyanti ca ramanti ca,
- (BG 10.9)
the devotee, one whose life is surrendered to Krishna, is always enjoying "great satisfaction and bliss" and he is constantly "enlightened", always positive, not negative as you say. The advanced devotee is the friend of everyone: yoga-yukto visuddhatma, purified soul engaged in loving devotional service to Krishna, sarvabhutatmabhutatma, he is dear to everyone and everyone is dear to him; and in another place Krishna claims that: yo mad bhakta sa me priya, that His devotee who is very dear to Him, advesta sarva-bhutanam, maitah karuna eva ca, is not envious but is the kind friend to all living entities. The devotee is supposed to be, furthermore, equal to everyone, panditah sama-darsinah (BG 5.18), never discriminating; this one good, this one bad, no. So these are the descriptions of the more advanced stages of Krishna Consciousness devotees, when has got mature knowledge by development, and at present many of our students are young boys, they are learning gradually and the process is so effective, certain, and authorized that if they stick to it they will come to the right point, as you say, of loving. But that love is not material, that is our point, so it may not be judged on the on the false sentimental platform of ordinary mundane dealings. So to say they are not loving, that maybe true from the materialists point of view—they have given up affection for family, friends, wife, country, race, like that, all based upon the bodily concept of life or flickering sense-gratification—they have become little detached from Maya's love, or lust, and they want Krishna's love, or endless, full, rewarding love, but they have not yet developed to that point, that's all and we cannot expect that all of a sudden, being addicted to so many bad habits, your countrymen, will give up eating flesh, taking intoxication, sex-life, and so many other nasty things, and become overnight great self-realized souls. That is not possible. That is utopian. Just becoming initiated as Krishna's devotee puts him in the topmost category of human society: sa buddhiman manusyesu, sa yuktah krtsna-karma-krt: (BG 4.18) "he is intelligent among human society, he is in the transcendental position, although engaged in sorts of activities". And such devotee, no matter he has not advanced yet to the highest level of spiritual understanding, still he is to be considered the most exalted personality never mind he has got any temporary frailties:
| Page Title: | BG 12.13-14 advesta sarva-bhutanam... cited |
| Compiler: | MadhuGopaldas, Visnu Murti |
| Created: | 01 of Mar, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=1, SB=0, CC=1, OB=1, Lec=3, Con=2, Let=2 |
| No. of Quotes: | 10 |