1 Gita Sloka Every Day - Chapter 12 - Bhakti Yoga - Sloka 18 & 19

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of Bhagavad Gita  published by Ramakrishna Mission

The Devotees Divine Traits 13-20

1 Gita Sloka  Every Day - Chapter 12 - Bhakti Yoga - Sloka 18 & 19

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Samah shatrau cha mitrecha tatha mana apamana yoh I

Sheeta ushna sukha dukheshu samah sanga vivarjitah II sloka 18

समः  शत्रौ च मित्रेच तथा मान अपमान योः I

शीत उष्ण सुख दुखेषु समः संग विवर्जितः II श्लोक 18 

Tulya ninda stutih mauni samtushtah ena kena chit I

Aniketah stira matih bhaktiman me priyah narah II sloka 19

तुल्य निन्दा स्तुतिः मौनी संतुष्टः एन केन चित I

अनिकेतः स्थिर मतिः भक्तिमान मे प्रियः नरः II श्लोक 19

He who is the same to foe and friend and also in honour and dishonour, who is the same in cold and heat, in pleasure and pain, who is free from attachment

To whom censure and praise are equal, who is silent, content with anything, homeless, steadyminded, full of devotion; that man is dear to Me. 

day and night are inevitable on earth, but in the blazing sun they have no place. Friendship and enmity are but natural among fellow beings; but in the fervour of the divine love of god, these differences vanish of their own accord.

An illicit love in the initial stage is mindful of shame and social decorum. But when it deepens into open familiarity all sense of shame is set aside. There is some similarity in this and the divine love of god which pays no heed to honour and dishonour. While the former leads the fallen one to depravity the latter elevates the devotee into the sublime. The worldly people are flippant both in honouring and dishonouring a devotee of god. But unconcerned that he is with these passing phases, the devotee goes headlong in his  love of the maker.

To the one subject to body consciousness the feeling of cold and heat is natural with  the change of climate. But to the one given to divine ecstasy born of bhakthi this feeling does n ot come. 

The feeling of pleasure and pain is concomitant with the feeling of cold and heat. When the attachment to the body is overcome, These feelings disappear as a matter of course.

A worldly man with a talent for music sings to receive the applause of the public. He derives pleasure in their praise and pain in the censure if any. But when a bhaktha sings the glory of the Lord, he is indifferent to the censure and praise of the people. His activities are likely to be exposed to public remarks. But he remains dead to all their observations and goes his own divine way.

The devotee prefers to be silent. if at all he talks it would be about the lord and nothing else. He is training the tongue in this way is equivalent to the practise of silence.

A person unexpectedly and hurriedly returning home on some important business, reconciles himself with any means of transport that is immediately available. He is not much worried if there be any lack of amenities and facilities in the travel. The bhakta s position in the world is very much like this. Communion with god is his sole concern. He is therefore content with anything that comes his way in his earthly sojourn. To a hurrying traveler sitting accommodation in any of the railway coaches is sufficient. Bhaktha the godward pilgrim on earth does not claim any residence as his home. He holds on to the ideal:

"Have thou no home, what home can hold thee, friend? The sky thy roof, the grass thy bed"

The devotee seeks nothing but god. He is therefore steady-minded.. He gives himself completely to god. So he becomes a favourite of God.

Do not allow worldly thoughts and concerns disturb your mind. Discharge your duties as and when they present themselves to you. But fasten your mind ever at the feet of the lord. 

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa