Chapter 12Verse 13

A short portrait of a settled mind: goodwill toward others, humility, and roughly the same composure whether things are going well or badly.

Krishna starts describing the kind of person he holds dear: someone who hates no living thing, who's friendly and kind, not possessive, not run by ego, about equally steady whether things are going well or badly, and quick to forgive. It's a short sketch of a settled character.

This begins a passage listing the qualities of the devotee dear to Krishna, and what's striking is how ordinary and relational the qualities are. Not supernatural powers, but the absence of hatred, the presence of goodwill, freedom from possessiveness and ego, evenness across pleasure and pain, and forgiveness. The list treats these as the natural fruit of an inner life that's actually settled, rather than as rules to force.

It's worth reading a list like this as a mirror rather than a standard to fail. Where do you carry quiet hatred, hold grudges, get possessive, take everything personally, swing hard with your circumstances? None of it changes by willpower alone, but noticing it is the start. The verse describes a direction, not a bar, and the direction is toward being easier on others and less at the mercy of your own moods.