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Bhagavad Gita 4.22 · Krishna

Content with what comes

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यदृच्छालाभसन्तुष्टो द्वन्द्वातीतो विमत्सरः।

समः सिद्धावसिद्धौ च कृत्वापि न निबध्यते॥

yadṛcchālābhasantuṣṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥsamaḥ siddhāvasiddhau ca kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate

Content with what comes unsought, beyond opposites, free of envy, even in success and failure, though acting, one is not bound.

What it means

Krishna lists four marks of freedom. Contentment with what comes on its own. Moving beyond the swing of opposites, like praise and blame. Freedom from matsara, envy. And evenness in success and failure. Such a person acts fully, he says, and is never bound by it.

The story

Envy has driven this whole war. Duryodhana's envy of the Pandavas burned for decades. Krishna names it quietly here, showing Arjuna the very poison he must not let into his own heart.

In your life

Picture someone scrolling a friend's dream holiday photos and feeling genuinely happy for them. That's freedom from envy. Next time you feel a twinge of jealousy, try sending a kind word instead.

Contentment is freedom from envy.