Asaktir Anabhishvangah

Krishna touches on something delicate here. Not clinging to son, wife, or home. This does not mean abandoning relationships. Love your family, but do not let that love become a chain. Care deeply, but hold lightly.

And when pleasant things come or unpleasant ones arrive — whether you get what you wanted or lose what you cherished — let the mind remain even. This equanimity is another mark of knowledge. Deep below a lake's surface, the water stays still even when a storm rages above.

This verse is especially relevant for people living a householder's life. Krishna is not asking anyone to renounce the world. He is asking them to live in the world without being enslaved by it.

In the Gita Press edition, this is the tenth shloka. 'Anabhishvanga' — absence of possessiveness — and 'asakti' — absence of attachment — are subtly different. The distinction becomes clearer through personal experience.