Commentary

Commentary

This verse continues listing the characteristics of one who has transcended the three modes. Each quality described here reflects a deep internal freedom from material identification.

Sama-duhkha-sukhah — equal in happiness and distress. The transcendent soul does not swing between elation when things go well and despair when they do not. This equanimity is not stoic suppression but the natural result of being established in one’s eternal identity beyond the body.

Svasthah — situated in the self. This single word captures the essence of transcendence. The liberated person is centered in their own spiritual nature. They do not need external validation, possessions, or circumstances to feel complete.

Sama-loshta-ashma-kaanchanah — seeing a lump of earth, a stone, and gold as equal. This does not mean the person cannot tell them apart; it means they have no preferential attachment based on material value. For a Krishna conscious person, everything is seen in relation to the Lord’s service — gold is useful if used for Krishna, and a stone is equally sacred if found at a holy site.

Tulya-priya-apriyah — equal toward the pleasant and unpleasant. Dheerah — steady, not agitated. Tulya-nindaa-atma-samstutih — equal in blame and personal praise. These qualities describe a person whose sense of self is no longer dependent on how others treat them. Whether praised or criticized, they remain absorbed in their relationship with the Supreme.