Ahimsa Samata Tushtih

Shlokas 10.4 and 10.5 together deliver a sweeping statement: all the varied states of all living beings arise from Me alone. Here, fame and infamy sit side by side in the same list. The implication is striking. For the divine, both are equal. There is no favouring of one over the other.

Non-violence, equanimity, contentment, austerity — the Gita repeatedly holds these as elevated qualities. Yet here, even their opposites are shown to arise from the same source. This is not a justification of wrongdoing. It is a recognition of the completeness of existence. Everything that appears in the world — every shade of human experience — has its root in the same ground.

This is the second half of the 10.4-5 pair. Together, they form the first philosophical pillar of Vibhuti Yoga: the divine is the source of all states of being. The specific examples begin from 10.6 onward.

Chapter 18 also describes categories of charity, austerity, and sacrifice. Reading 10.5 alongside those later shlokas provides the Gita's full perspective on virtues and their origin.