Bhagavad Geeta 150 - Chapter 12 - Bannanje Govindacharya (12.13)

In the previous Shlokas, Krishna used two names for Arjuna - Paartha and Dhananjaya. Reason for repeating his names - not for Arjuna. They are a message for other readers of Geeta to develop the qualities indicated by the names. Madhwacharya explains the names of Krishna but not those of Arjuna. Paartha - one who protects the true meaning of The Vedas i.e. one who safely keeps Bhagavanta in their hearts. Dhananjaya - one who has conquered the desire for wealth i.e. now only desires Bhagavanta. Every small prefix and suffix, vowel and consonant has a specific meaning. eg: Upasate and Pariupasate are different. Pariupasate means doing it with Jnyana and Bhakti knowing meaning of Upasana. Anecdote from Bannanje Govindacharya's life - A foreign student of his came to India to learn about Indian philosophy. He was fluent in 15 languages and many Indian ones. He was disappointed that people in India follow things without knowing the reasons. 11.13 Krishna then gives a set of qualities to inculcate in life. Adweshta - Krishna says - don't hate anyone. there are two types of hate/dislike - one is jealousy towards people who are more successful and the other is hatred towards evil. Krishna says one must not hate people who are more successful, but also must not hate those who are evil. You can hate the evil qualities but not the person. One must merely stay away from evil people. Evil people may be acting evil due to influence. No one knows what their Swabhaava is. So you must not hate the person. Bhagavanta is the creator of everyone - even Asuras, Rakshasas. Thus all of us are brothers and sisters and we must but despise anyone and tolerate everyone just like our siblings. Sadhushu Maitri - Krishna says love the Sajjanas. Anecdote from Govindacharya - a sincere woman in Mumbai who was collecting money for some good deeds but people suspected she is getting commission. People always doubt people instead of loving. A nuance to note - Hate evil, but not evil people. Love good as well as good people. Karuna - Krishna says we must help all in need. Eva - used to indicate that we must help all whether they are good or bad. Although hardships arise out of one's own karma, we should still help them. We expect help when we are in trouble ourselves. Nirmama Nirahankara - Be free of "my" and "I". One must not become an egoist. Example of deep sleep when we have no possessiveness or pride, and thus have no worries or pain or sorrow. We must do the same while awake. This doesn't mean we should give up our loved ones because they are not "mine". It means we must love them just like we love everyone else without bias because they are"mine". Example of Purandara Dasa - loved his son when he was alive. When the son died, he wrote a song about it and offered it to Bhagavanta. This is detached attachment. Sama Dukha Sukha - Krishna advises being the same in joy and sorrow. He is but recommending considering both the same (that's not practical) but one must learn to tolerate everything and must be balanced in both cases. Both joy and sorrow are inevitable. Arjuna himself lost balance several times - he was going to commit suicide. He was going to kill Yudhishtira and then himself and how Krishna prevents him. Kshma - Krihsna says one must forgive even those who wrong us. A nuance here - this doesn't always apply to Kshatriyas who are supposed to punish wrongdoers. Pandavas fighting against injustice is correct - they must not forgive Duryodhana. But not for personal reasons. Rather than revenge, Satvikas always wish that Bhagavanta give sense to those who have wronged them and help them too.