Bhagavad-gītā 12.18
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
समः शत्रौ च मित्रे च तथा मानापमानयोः।शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु समः सङ्गविवर्जितः।।12.18।।
samaḥ śhatrau cha mitre cha tathā mānāpamānayoḥ śhītoṣhṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣhu samaḥ saṅga-vivarjitaḥ
One who is equal toward enemy and friend, honor and dishonor, cold and heat, pleasure and pain, and is free from attachment,
English rendering by Dharma Open School. Original school translation.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| samaḥ | alike |
| śhatrau | to a foe |
| cha | and |
| mitre | to a friend |
| cha tathā | as well as |
| māna-apamānayoḥ | in honor and dishonor |
| śhīta-uṣhṇa | in cold and heat |
| sukha-duḥkheṣhu | in joy and sorrow |
| samaḥ | equipoised |
| saṅga-vivarjitaḥ | free from all unfavorable association |
Use the word map to follow the relation among samaḥ (alike), māna-apamānayoḥ (in honor and dishonor), and saṅga-vivarjitaḥ (free from all unfavorable association). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to loving devotion and the qualities of a devotee. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 12.18.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Compare approaches to worship and study the concrete qualities of a devotee across the chapter’s compact sequence.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
One who is equal toward enemy and friend, honor and dishonor, cold and heat, pleasure and pain
- 2
is free from attachment,
- 3
samaḥ: alike
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture the path of devotion.
Link
Use the line starts: samaḥ śhatrau / śhītoṣhṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣhu samaḥ.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 12.18, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 12.18 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 12.18 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 12.18 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 12.18, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition