Selection from the 12th Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita
Translated by Swami Premananda
One who is completely free from ill will and is friendly and compassionate towards all, who has overcome attachment and egotism, who is self-composed in pain and pleasure, and forgiving, who is ever content, meditative, serene, resolute in spiritual effort, and whose mind and intellect are dedicated to me; he who is thus devoted to me is dear to me.
He by whom the world is not afflicted and who is not afflicted by the world, who is not carried away by emotion, and who is free from envy, fear and anxiety; he is dear to me.
He who is not ruled by sensory desires, who is pure, wise and competent, unattached, undisturbed, free from egoistic motive; he who is thus devoted to me is dear to me.
He who is neither overbearing in the joy of achievement nor negatively depressed in failure, who is neither abased by misfortune nor greedy of gain, who has renounced the concept of relative good and evil and is full of devotion; he is dear to me.
He who is equal to friend and foe, serene in fame and insult, heat and cold, pleasure and pain, and free from attachment, self-composed in praise and blame, wise in speech, content amidst all circumstances, unattached to this abode of life, and calm of mind; such a devout heart is dear to me.
But those who follow this immortal path of devotion exactly as herein propounded by me, with faith and regarding me as the supreme goal; such devotees indeed are exceedingly dear to me.