Path of Knowledge and the Disciplines of Action
Verse 4.22
यदृच्छालाभसन्तुष्टो द्वन्द्वातीतो विमत्सरः। समः सिद्धावसिद्धौ च कृत्वापि न निबध्यते।।4.22।।
yadṛichchhā-lābha-santuṣhṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ samaḥ siddhāvasiddhau cha kṛitvāpi na nibadhyate
Word Meanings
yadṛichchhā—which comes of its own accord; lābha—gain; santuṣhṭaḥ—contented; dvandva—duality; atītaḥ—surpassed; vimatsaraḥ—free from envy; samaḥ—equipoised; siddhau—in success; asiddhau—failure; cha—and; kṛitvā—performing; api—even; na—never; nibadhyate—is bound
Translation · English
Content with what comes to him without effort, free from the pairs of opposites and envy, even-minded in success and failure, he acts yet is not bound.
Deep Meaning · English
This verse serves as a masterclass in the psychological and spiritual state of the Karmayogi. Krishna describes a person who has achieved an inner sanctuary independent of external circumstances. By being 'yadṛichchhā-lābha-santuṣhṭaḥ'—content with whatever comes naturally without craving—the practitioner stops being a slave to desire. This surrender allows the seeker to transcend the 'dvandvas' (dualities) of pleasure and pain, success and failure, which are merely projections of the mind’s attachment to specific outcomes. When the ego, which is the source of envy ('vimatsaraḥ'), is dissolved, the individual ceases to function as the 'doer' and instead becomes a conduit for the Divine Will. From an Advaitic perspective, this state reflects the realization that the true Self is the non-doer (akartā). Because the seeker performs actions as an offering, they do not create the 'vāsanās' (karmic imprints) that cause bondage. They live in the world but are not of it; they are like the lotus leaf in water, physically present but untouched by the muddy influence of results. The 'bondage' mentioned is the cycle of rebirth driven by reaction to outcomes; by maintaining equanimity, the seeker cuts the very root of future karma, allowing the light of their innate divinity to shine through the veil of action.
True freedom is found not by renouncing action, but by renouncing the ego's demand for specific outcomes, allowing the seeker to remain eternally poised in the stillness of the Self.
Connected Verses
Highlights that the devotee who does not cause agitation in others and is free from the agitations of others is most dear to the Lord, echoing the 'vimatsaraḥ' state.
Confirms that one who has conquered the senses and the mind finds the Supreme Self, remaining steady in the midst of cold, heat, and other dualities.
Uses the powerful metaphor of the lotus leaf to describe how a dedicated soul performs action without being stained by the result.
Establishes the foundational principle of Yoga as equanimity in success and failure, which is the core practice defined in this verse.
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