Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 4, Verse 22
यदृच्छालाभसन्तुष्टो द्वन्द्वातीतो विमत्सरः।
समः सिद्धावसिद्धौ च कृत्वापि न निबध्यते।।
समः सिद्धावसिद्धौ च कृत्वापि न निबध्यते।।
yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ
samaḥ siddhāvasiddhau ca kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate
also searched as "yadrichchha labha santushto dvandvatito vimatsarah"
Translation
Content with what chance may bring, rising above the pairs of opposites, free from ill-will, even-minded in success and failure, he acts, yet is not bound.
Vāṇi's rendering
Content with whatever comes, beyond opposites, without envy, equal in success and failure — acting, yet unbound.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| यदृच्छा-लाभ-सन्तुष्टःyadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ | content with what comes of its own accord, gain unsought |
| द्वन्द्व-अतीतःdvandva-atītaḥ | gone beyond the pairs — heat and cold, praise and blame (sandhi: dvandvātītaḥ) |
| विमत्सरःvimatsaraḥ | free of envy, without grudge at another's portion |
| समःsamaḥ | even, level |
| सिद्धौsiddhau | in success |
| असिद्धौasiddhau | in failure (sandhi: siddhāvasiddhau) |
| चca | and |
| कृत्वाkṛtvā | having acted |
| अपिapi | even, though (sandhi: kṛtvāpi) |
| नna | not |
| निबध्यतेnibadhyate | is bound |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Verse 22 mean?
It sketches the one who acts without being caught by his acting. He is satisfied with what comes unsought, untouched by the swinging pairs of gain and loss, free of envy, and level in siddhi and asiddhi alike. Krishna's point is not that such a person withdraws. He works, and the work leaves no residue on him.
What does yadrichchha labha santushto dvandvatito vimatsarah teach about contentment?
Yadṛcchā-lābha means gain that arrives on its own, unhunted. Contentment here is not lowered ambition; it is the end of bargaining with what has already happened. You still lift the bow, still aim. But you stop measuring the day against a version of the day you had privately demanded.
Why does Krishna mention envy in this verse?
Because envy is contentment's precise reverse. Vimatsaraḥ names the person who feels no sting when another's harvest is larger. Where there is envy, no amount of arriving good is ever enough — the portion is always compared before it is tasted. Krishna removes the comparison, and the same portion becomes sufficient.
How can someone act and yet not be bound by the action?
Binding happens through the claim, not the movement. When you demand that the result vindicate you, every outcome becomes a verdict you must carry. Stand equal in success and failure and the act completes itself and lets you go. Do the day's work, then set it down where it happened.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
Krishna is describing a man who has stopped negotiating with what arrives. Not passive — he acts, the verse says so plainly. But whatever the day hands him he takes as enough, and whatever it withholds he does not chase into resentment. Envy is named here for a reason: it is the exact opposite of contentment, the ache that someone else's portion should have been yours. Arjuna wants a guaranteed outcome before he will lift the bow. Krishna offers something stranger — equal footing in victory and defeat. Act fully today, and let the day's yield be the day's business, not yours.