Bhagavad-gītā 4.22
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
यदृच्छालाभसन्तुष्टो द्वन्द्वातीतो विमत्सरः। समः सिद्धावसिद्धौ च कृत्वापि न निबध्यते।।4.22।।
yadṛichchhā-lābha-santuṣhṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ samaḥ siddhāvasiddhau cha kṛitvāpi na nibadhyate
Content with what comes to him without effort, unaffected by the pairs of opposites, free from envy, even-minded in success and failure, though acting, he is not bound.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Use the word map to follow the relation among yadṛichchhā (which comes of its own accord), siddhau (in success), and nibadhyate (is bound). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to knowledge that purifies action. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 4.22.
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: Follow the links among teaching lineage, divine appearance, action, knowledge, sacrifice and the teacher–student relationship.
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
Content with what comes to him without effort, unaffected by the pairs of opposites, free from envy, even-minded in success and failure, though acting, he is not bound
- 2
yadṛichchhā: which comes of its own accord
- 3
siddhau: in success
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 4.22, 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 4.22 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 4.22 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 4.22 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 4.22, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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