|| 4.22 ||
यदृच्छालाभसंतुष्टो द्वन्द्वातीतो विमत्सरः। समः सिद्धावसिद्धौ च कृत्वापि न निबध्यते।।
yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ samaḥ siddhāv asiddhau ca kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate
Word by Word
yadṛcchā (out of its own accord) lābha (with gain) santuṣṭaḥ (satisfied) dvandva (duality) atītaḥ (surpassed) vimatsaraḥ (free from envy) samaḥ (steady) siddhau (in success) asiddhau (in failure) ca (also) kṛtvā (doing) api (even) na (never) nibadhyate (becomes affected/bound)
Translation
He who is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord, who is free from duality and does not envy, who is steady in both success and failure, is never entangled, although performing actions.
Meaning
Kṛṣṇa describes the emotional resilience of the yogī. He is satisfied with whatever comes to him of its own accord—‘yadṛcchā-lābha’. He doesn’t cheat or struggle frantically for material growth. He is ‘dvandvātīto’, meaning he has surpassed the dualities of pleasure and pain.
Most importantly, he is ‘vimatsaraḥ’, or free from envy. He doesn’t compare his life to others because he knows everyone is on their own path. He remains ‘samaḥ’, or steady, whether he meets with success or failure in his endeavors. His internal worth is not tied to external results.
Because of this stability, even when he performs great actions (like fighting a war), he is never ‘nibadhyate’—he is never bound or entangled. He is like a scientist conducting an experiment; he records the data of success and failure with equal interest, remaining focused on the truth rather than the result.