Verses 12.18-19

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verses 12.18-19:

समः शत्रौ च मित्रे च तथा मानापमानयोः ।
शीतोष्ण-सुख-दुःखेषु समः सङ्ग-विवर्जितः ॥ १८ ॥
तुल्य-निन्दा-स्तुतिर् मौनी सन्तुष्टो येन केनचित् ।
अनिकेतः स्थिर-मतिर् भक्तिमान् मे प्रियो नरः ॥ १९ ॥

samaḥ śatrau ca mitre ca tathā mānāpamānayoḥ |
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣu samaḥ saṅga-vivarjitaḥ || 18 ||
tulya-nindā-stutir maunī santuṣṭo yena kenacit |
aniketaḥ sthira-matir bhaktimān me priyo naraḥ || 19 ||

samaḥ–equal; śatrau–towards an enemy; ca–and; mitre–a friend; ca tathā–as well as; māna-apamānayoḥ–in honour and dishonour; śīta-uṣṇa–in cold and heat; sukha-duḥkheṣu–happiness and unhappiness; samaḥ–equal; saṅga-vivarjitaḥ–unaffected by (mundane) association; tulya–equal; nindā-stutiḥ–in blame and praise; maunī–controlled in speech or silent, due to engagement in contemplation of his worshipful Lord; santuṣṭaḥ–fully satisfied; yena kenacit–by whatever necessities for bodily maintenance come to him (by the Lord’s grace); aniketaḥ–without attachment to any residence; sthira-matiḥ–whose mind is fixed (in spiritual subject matters); bhaktimān–the devoted person; me–to Me; priyaḥ–dear; naraḥ–man.

Being blessed with bhakti, he who looks equally upon friends and enemies, who is equipoised in honour and dishonour, heat and cold, joy and anguish, who does not take any kind of mundane association, who is equal in both praise and criticism, who speaks nothing but bhagavat-kathā, who remains satisfied with whatever comes to him for the maintenance of the body, be it to his taste or otherwise, who has no fixed place of residence and who has unflinching faith in the conclusions of spiritual matters–such a devotee is dear to Me.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

The word aniketaḥ means ‘without attachment to mundane possessions, such as a house’.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

Śrī Kṛṣṇa now concludes His glorification of the natural qualities of His dear devotees in the present two verses. They behave equally towards enemies and friends, and they remain equipoised in honour and dishonour, heat and cold and happiness and distress. They never take bad association and they do not feel unhappy when criticized or happy when glorified. They do not speak anything except topics of the Lord (bhagavat-kathā). They remain content with either palatable or unpalatable foodstuffs that are useful for the maintenance of the body and that come by the will of Bhagavān. They do not maintain a fixed residence, and their intelligence is focused on the transcendental goal. Such devotees are dear to Him.