Bhagavad Gita 10.5

Verse 5

अहिंसा समता तुष्टिस्तपो दानं यशोऽयशः | भवन्ति भावा भूतानां मत्त एव पृथग्विधाः || ५ ||

Transliteration

ahiṁsā samatā tuṣṭis tapo dānaṁ yaśo 'yaśaḥ bhavanti bhāvā bhūtānāṁ matta eva pṛthag-vidhāḥ

Synonyms

ahiṁsā—nonviolence; samatā—equanimity; tuṣṭiḥ—contentment; tapaḥ—austerity; dānam—charity; yaśaḥ—fame; ayaśaḥ—infamy; bhavanti—come about; bhāvāḥ—qualities; bhūtānām—of living beings; mattaḥ—from Me; eva—certainly; pṛthak-vidhāḥ—variously arranged.

Translation

Nonviolence, equanimity, contentment, austerity, charity, fame and infamy — all these various qualities of living beings arise from Me alone.

Multi-Tradition Commentary

Ramanuja (Vishishtadvaita)

Even infamy (ayaśaḥ) originates from the Lord, indicating that the full range of human experience — both glorious and inglorious — serves the divine purpose of the soul's evolution. Nothing in existence stands outside the Lord's sovereignty. This understanding cultivates humility and prevents us from judging others as fundamentally separate from the divine order.

Practical Application (Modern Life)

When we see the Divine as the source of all qualities — including the difficult ones — we stop dividing the world into purely good and purely bad. Even failures and infamy carry lessons necessary for growth. This understanding generates compassion for ourselves and others when we fall short of our ideals.

Chapter Content

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