Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Who Has No Home

In this passage from The Bhagavad Gita 12: 13-20, Krishna lists the qualities good men should strive for:

One who bears no hatred, who is a compassionate friend to all creatures, who is not possessive or selfish, equal in happiness and distress, and forgiving,


Who is dedicated to the spiritual path, always satisfied, self-controlled, and determined, whose mind and intelligence are fixed on me-- this devotee of mine is dear to me.


One who troubles no one and is troubled by no one, who is unmoved by happiness, anger, fear, or distress-- is dear to me.


One who is detached, pure, skillful, without cares or troubles, and selfless in all endeavors-- this devotee of mine is dear to me.


One who does not grasp joy or hatred, grief or desire, good or bad-- this devoted soul is dear to me.


One who looks equally on friends or enemies, honor or dishonor, heat or cold, happiness or distress, praise or blame, who craves nothing, is silent and satisfied in any situation, who has no home, who is even-minded and filled with devotion-- such a person is dear to me.


Those who faithfully follow this eternal path of devotion, making me their Supreme God, are dearly beloved to me.


This translation is by Ranchor Prime, and it's one of my favorites.  It's very simple and easy to understand.  There is an older, more poetic translation by Sir Edwin Arnold that can be downloaded free from Project Gutenberg, HERE.

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