Shloka 5
Vibhuti Yoga — Vibhuti Yoga
अहिंसा समता तुष्टिस्तपो दानं यशोऽयशः । भवन्ति भावा भूतानां मत्त एव पृथग्विधाः ॥ १०.५ ॥
ahiṁsā samatā tuṣṭis tapo dānaṁ yaśo ’yaśaḥ | bhavanti bhāvā bhūtānāṁ matta eva pṛthag-vidhāḥ || 10.5 ||
Non-violence, equanimity, contentment, austerity, charity, fame and infamy—these diverse states of beings arise from Me alone, in manifold ways.
Non-violence, equanimity, contentment, austerity, charity, fame and infamy—these diverse states of beings arise from Me alone.
Non-harming, even-mindedness, satisfaction, discipline (austerity), giving, honor and dishonor—various states of living beings come from Me alone.
‘ahiṁsā’ is best rendered ‘non-harming’ in a broad ethical sense. ‘yaśo’/‘ayaśaḥ’ can be ‘fame/infamy’ or ‘honor/dishonor,’ emphasizing social valuation as part of conditioned experience. Together with 10.4, the list frames both admired virtues and socially contingent outcomes as arising within the same cosmic source.
FAQs
By pairing inner virtues with external evaluations (honor/dishonor), the verse encourages resilience: self-worth need not depend solely on reputation, and equanimity can be cultivated.
It presents a theistic-cosmological claim that all dispositions and experiential conditions occur within the divine ground, integrating moral life with an overarching metaphysics.
This completes the list begun in 10.4 and explicitly states the thesis: the manifold ‘bhāvas’ of beings originate from Krishna.
It supports ethical practice (non-harming, generosity) while maintaining composure when social recognition fluctuates.