BG 13.9

Detachment from the objects of the senses, absence of false ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age, and disease;

13.9. Absence of desire for sense-objects; and also absence of egotism; pondering over the evils of birth, death, old age, sickness and sorrow;

13.9 Renunciation of the delights of sense, absence of pride, right understanding of the painful problem of birth and death, of age and sickness;

13.9 See Comment under 13.12

13.9 'Absence of desire' with regard to sense-objects means dispassion towards all objects different from the spiritual self by the constant awareness of the evil in them. 'Absence of egotism' means freedom from the misconception that the self is the body, which is in reality different from the self. This is only an illustration standing for other misconceptions too. It indicates freedom from the feeling of possession towards things which do not belong to one. 'Perception of evil in birth, death, old age, disease and sorrow' means the constant contemplation on the inevitable evil of birth, death, old age and sorrow while in the body.

13.9 Vairagyam, non-attachment, the attitude of dispassion; indriya-arthesu, with regard to objects of the senses, viz sound etc., with regard to seen or unseen objects of enjoyment; eva ca, and also; anahankarah, absence of egotism, absence of pride; janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosa-anudarsanam, seeing the evil in birth, death, old age, diseases and miseries-seeing the evil in each one of them from 'birth' to 'miseries'. The evil in birth consists in lying in the womb and coming out of it; seeing, i.e. thinking, of it. Similarly, thinking of the evil in death; so also, seeing in old age the evil in the form of deprivation of intelligence, strength and vigour, and becoming an object of contempt. In the same way, thinking of the evil in diseases like headtache etc.; so also with regard to miseries arising from causes physical, natural and supernatural. Or, duhkha-dosa may mean the miseries themselves which are evil. Seeing, as before, that (evil in the form of miseries) in birth etc.-birth is miserable, death is miserable, old age is miserable, diseases are miserable. Birth etc. are miserable because they cause misery; not that they are miseries in themselves. [Birth etc. are perceivable events, and as such are not miseries in themselves.] Thus, when one thinks of the evil in the form of miseries in birth etc. dispassion arises with regard to the pleasures in the body, organs and objects. From that follows the tendency of the organs towards the indwelling Self for the realization of the Self. The seeing of the evil in the form of misery in birth etc. is called Knowledge because it thus becomes a cuase of the rise of Knowledge. Moreover,

13.9 Absence of desire with regard to sense-objects, and also absence of egotism, the perception of evil in birth, death, old age, disease and sorrow;

13.9 Non-attachment with regard to objects of the senses, and also absence of egotism; seeing the evil in birth, death, old age, diseases and miseries;