Bhagavad Geeta 155 - Chapter 12 - Bannanje Govindacharya (12.18 - 12.19)

12.18 Sama Shatrau Cha Mitre Cha - Material friends may not be spiritual friends. A good example is Ramanujacharya. He gave the Narayana Mantra Upadesha to everyone despite being warned that he would go to Naraka for doing so, because he wanted others to attain Moksha. Before taking Sanyasa, he would often bring unknown Bhagavata devotees home, which angered his wife. This eventually led to their separation and his acceptance of Sanyasa. Spiritually, his wife acted as an obstacle, making her an enemy in that sense. There is actually one rule - everything that reminds one of Bhagavanta is good, everything that doesn't is not. Determine friends and enemies based on this and not based on material favors or bias. This itself is samadrishti among friends and enemies. Krishna says one must treat praise and humiliation the same way. We think those that praise us are friends and those that criticize us are enemies. Anecdote of Bannanje Govindacharya's Avadhoota friend - doesn't wear Janivaara, strange clothes. He used to live in a hut with cows until his son pleaded with him to live in the home. He once lost his slippers outside a temple - he said maybe someone needed it more. When Acharyaru offered him his own extra slippers, he said he doesn't want to lose the chance to new first-hand slippers. When a so-called scholar asked him "As I learn more, I forget more. What's the reason for this?", he replied "The reason is not learning morez but thinking you learnt more". Once, this Avadhoota was thrown out of the temple for sitting in a Brahmana Pankti without a Janivaara. He was totally unfazed - he said he thought Brahmana meant Jnyani and sat there, but the temple staff thought it meant those with Janivaara - so they acted as per their understanding. Didn't consider it humiliation in the slightest. Praise/humiliation are not a measure of what one is. One must know what they are themselves without need for external validation. One must not be affected by it. Humiliation/criticism could also be useful and lead one to the right track. Example of Bhikshu Geeta from Bhagavata - a miser man who saves all life and then loses everything, realizes his mistake. When he begs for food, no one offers him anything because they remember how miser he used to be. But he is not affected by it - he thanks God for giving him his punishment in this life itself. Sheetoshna Sukha Dukha - Happiness and sorrow are like hot and cold - it keeps changing. Hot is preferable in cold weather and cold and hot weather. Similarly happiness and sorrow keep changing throughout one's life and in different scenarios. Also, different for different people. Anecdote of Bannanje Govindacharya defending his Guru Vidya Manyaru for spending Vajra Kavacha and the golden chariot for creation. When a man criticized Swamigalu, Acharyaru pointed at the man's wife's chain and said that just like he to decorate her, Swamigalu wants to decorate Krishna and the whole world can see Krishna openly. Sanga Vivarjita - All these negative feelings emerge from over-attachment (Sanga). 2.62 describes a ladder of downfall that starts with attachment. One must follow detached attachment towards everything. Can't be completely detached - must love and attach to family and friends but not over attached. Like a lotus petal where nothing sticks to it. Also, can be interpreted as engaging with all but remaining internally focused on Bhagavanta. 12.19 Krishna says both words of praise and criticism seem equal to him - both seem like Bhagavanta's names. Example of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a grammar scholar who later began seeing Bhagavanta's names in all words and lost interest in grammatical scholarship. Also, even if not seeing them as Bhagavanta's names, praise and criticism shouldn't matter because they don't mean anything if you know yourself. Mouna - Krishna says one must remain silent. Even if someone says something wrong, criticizes you etc, just remain silent. Advice - remain silent when you feel the impulse to retort negatively. That feeling subsides and you will feel glad you didn't react immediately.