anapekṣaḥ śucir dakṣa
udāsīno gata-vyathaḥ
sarvārambha-parityāgī
yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ
Translation of Bhagavad Gita 12.16
My devotee who is not dependent on the ordinary course of activities, who is pure, expert, without cares, free from all pains, and not striving for some result, is very dear to Me.
Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
Money may be offered to a devotee, but he should not struggle to acquire it. If automatically, by the grace of the Supreme, money comes to him, he is not agitated. Naturally a devotee takes a bath at least twice in a day and rises early in the morning for devotional service. Thus he is naturally clean both inwardly and outwardly. A devotee is always expert because he fully knows the essence of all activities of life and he is convinced of the authoritative scriptures. A devotee never takes the part of a particular party; therefore he is carefree. He is never pained, because he is free from all designations; he knows that his body is a designation, so if there are some bodily pains, he is free. The pure devotee does not endeavor for anything which is against the principles of devotional service. For example, constructing a big building requires great energy, and a devotee does not take to such business if it does not benefit him by advancing his devotional service. He may construct a temple for the Lord, and for that he may take all kinds of anxiety, but he does not construct a big house for his personal relations.
Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
Anapeksah means devoid of expectations from material work. Udasinah means to be unattached to material persons. He has the quality of giving up all material endeavors in the present and future, and even some spiritual endeavors such as some types of teaching scripture (sarva arambha parityagi).
Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya:
12.16 He who is free from ‘desires’, i.e., who has no longing for anything except the self; who is ‘pure’, namely, whose body is nourished on the food prescribed by the Sastras; who is an ‘expert’ namely, who is an expert in performing actions prescribed by the Sastras; who is ‘indifferent’, i.e., not interested in matters other than those enjoined by the Sastras; who is free from ‘agony’, i.e., of pain caused by heat, cold, contact with coarse things etc., which are inevitably associated with the performance of rites prescribed by the Sastras; who renounces all ‘undertakings,’ i.e., who renounces all undertakings except those demanded by the Sastras — the devotee who is like this is dear to Me.
Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya:
8 The word anapeksah or independent means free from expectations and indifferent to things that have even come on their own accord. Sucih or clean denotes both external cleanliness of the physical body and internal cleanliness of mind. Daksah means expert and infers lack of laziness. Udasinah or impartial means not taking sides. Gata-vyathah or untroubled means free from anguish. The phrase sarva-arambha-parityagi means renouncing all endeavours that are opposed to devotion. Such a devotee of Lord Krishna possessing these qualities is very dear to Him.
Commentary by Sri Madhvacharya of Brahma Sampradaya:
Sri Madhvacharya did not comment on this sloka.
Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya:
One who craves for nothing and remains unattached to the worldly objects which come unsolicited of their own accord, who is cleansed within and without, who is expert in applying the teachings of the Vedic scriptures and performing the obligatory rites, who is indifferent to mundane matters and unconcerned about insult or praise while renouncing all conceptions of doership in all undertakings except those that increase bhakti or exclusive loving devotion to the Supreme Lord is very dear to Lord Krishna.
Commentary by Sri Adi Shankaracharya of Advaita Sampradaya:
12.16 Anapeksah, he who has no desires with regard to covetable things like body, organs, objects, (their inter-) relationship, etc.; sucih, who is pure, endowed with external and internal purity; daksah, who is dextrous, who is able to promptly understand in the right way the duties that present themselves; udasinah, who is impartial, the monk who does not side with anybody-friends and others; gatavyathah, who is free from fear; sarva-arambha-parityagi, who has renounced every undertaking-works under-taken are arambhah; sarva-arambhah means works undertaken out of desire for results to be enjoyed here or hereafter; he who is apt to give them up (pari-tyaga) is sarva-arambha-parityahi; he who is such a madbhaktah, devotee of Mine; he is priyah, dear; me, to Me. Further,
Commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta of Kaula Tantra Sampradaya:
12.15-20 Yasmat etc. upto Me priyah. One who has no fixed thought : One who has no resolution, [in his mundane life] like ‘This alone must be done by me’. He, who enjoys, with contentment, both pleasure and pain as they come, and has his mind completely absorbed in Supreme Lord – that person happily (or easily) attains the Supreme Isolation (Emancipation)
Sanskrit Shloka Without Transliteration Marks:
anapeksah sucir daksa
udasino gata-vyathah
sarvarambha-parityagi
yo mad-bhaktah sa me priyah
Sanskrit to English Word for Word Meanings:
anapekṣaḥ — neutral; śuciḥ — pure; dakṣaḥ — expert; udāsīnaḥ — free from care; gata-vyathaḥ — freed from all distress; sarva-ārambha — of all endeavors; parityāgī — renouncer; yaḥ — anyone who; mat-bhaktaḥ — My devotee; saḥ — he; me — to Me; priyaḥ — very dear.
