Lord Krishna
Divine TeacherThe Supreme Lord, the charioteer and divine guide of Arjuna. Krishna delivers the eternal wisdom of the Gita, revealing the nature of the soul, duty, and the path to liberation.
Speaking: Chapter 13, Verse 10
Verse 10
The Yoga of the Field and the Knower of the Field
Non-attachment, non-identification with son, wife, home, and so on, and constant equanimity in pleasant and unpleasant occurrences—
Context & Meaning
Non-attachment (asakti) — the relaxing of the grip on outcomes — and non-identification (anaabhiṣvaṅga — literally, not being entwined) with the roles and relationships of life: son, wife, home. The Gita does not ask us to abandon these relationships but to hold them without being held by them. The test of this detachment is the quality mentioned next: constant equanimity in both pleasant and unpleasant events. The person who has truly loosened their identification with relationships and possessions will neither be elated by gain nor devastated by loss.
Scholar Commentaries
1 commentary · Public domainAdi Shankaracharya
AdvaitaAnaabhiṣvaṅga — not being entangled, not being entwined — is a stronger word than mere non-attachment. It points to the existential freedom of one who participates in relationships without being defined by them. The realized person loves deeply but holds nothing. This is not coldness — it is love in its most expansive form.