टीका

Commentary

Continuing the garland of devotee qualities, verse 15 introduces a beautiful reciprocal principle: the ideal devotee neither causes distress to others nor is distressed by them. This is a two-way peace — inner and outer.

The Reciprocal Principle

Yasmaan nodvijate lokah — “from whom the world is not agitated.” The devotee’s presence in the world is gentle. They do not provoke, do not create unnecessary conflict, do not stir up trouble. This does not mean they are passive or weak — it means their way of being in the world produces calm rather than turbulence.

Lokaat nodvijate cha yah — “and who is not agitated by the world.” The devotee is not tossed about by the actions of others. Criticism, praise, hostility, indifference — none of these shake the center of their being. They live in the world without being at the mercy of the world.

Freedom from Four Agitations

Krishna names four specific disturbances from which the devotee is free:

Harsha — excessive elation or excitement. Not the healthy joy of gratitude, but the grasping, manic kind that inevitably leads to a crash.

Amarsha — envy or impatience. The inability to tolerate another’s good fortune, or the restless demand that things happen on one’s own timeline.

Bhaya — fear. The primal contraction that comes from feeling separate and vulnerable.

Udvega — anxiety or agitation. The background hum of worry that prevents true peace.

Not Suppression but Freedom

The word muktah — “free from” — is key. Krishna does not say the devotee suppresses these emotions. He says the devotee is free of them. They have been released at the root, through the power of devotion and the security of God’s love. When you know you are held by the Divine, there is nothing left to fear, nothing to envy, nothing to grasp at in excitement, and nothing to worry about.