टीका

Commentary

Bhagavad Gita 13:10 continues the definition of knowledge with two more essential qualities: non-attachment to the bonds of family and home, and constant equanimity in the face of life’s dualities.

Asakti and Anabhishvanga — Non-Attachment

Krishna does not say one should have no family or abandon one’s responsibilities. The key words are asakti (non-attachment) and anabhishvanga (absence of excessive entanglement). One may have children, a spouse, and a home — these are natural features of human life. But one should not be so attached to them that they become obstacles to spiritual progress.

The distinction is between love and bondage. A person can love their family deeply while understanding that all relationships are temporary and that the ultimate purpose of life transcends them. When attachment becomes so strong that one cannot think of God, cannot pursue spiritual practice, cannot maintain equanimity — then it has become bondage.

Sama-Chittatvam — Even-Mindedness

The second quality is sama-chittatvam — equanimity, evenness of mind. When something desirable happens — praise, wealth, success — the person of knowledge does not become elated. When something undesirable happens — criticism, loss, failure — they do not become depressed. This evenness is not indifference or apathy; it is the stability that comes from being anchored in something deeper than circumstances.

This quality was already emphasized by Krishna in Chapter 2 (the sthita-prajna, the person of steady wisdom). Here it appears again as a component of knowledge, reinforcing the point that true knowledge is not merely intellectual but transformative — it changes how one relates to the entire world of experience.

The Practical Challenge

Of all the qualities listed in these verses, non-attachment to family is perhaps the most practically difficult for most people. Natural affection for one’s children, spouse, and home is among the strongest forces in human life. Krishna does not ask for its elimination but for its proper placement: family love should not override one’s relationship with God, and family obligations should be discharged as service to the Divine, not as ends in themselves.