Free from pride and delusion, having conquered the fault of attachment, ever devoted to the Supreme Self, with desires completely turned away, liberated from the pairs of opposites known as pleasure and pain — such undeluded persons reach that imperishable abode.
Synthesis
Free from pride and delusion, having conquered attachment, ever devoted to the Supreme Self, desires extinguished, free from dualities — the undeluded reach that eternal goal. Shankara lists these as the marks of the jivanmukta who has transcended ignorance. Ramanuja sees them as the qualities of the soul prepared by devotion for God's eternal abode. The Bhakti tradition celebrates these as the fruits of complete surrender to the Lord. Madhva lists these as genuine spiritual accomplishments enabled by God's grace. Abhinavagupta reads them as descriptions of consciousness in its natural, unconstricted state — the sahaja state of spontaneous liberation. Vallabha teaches that these qualities come through God's grace, transforming the devotee through divine love. Tilak reads them as the ethical profile of the liberated karma yogi. Vivekananda sees these as universal qualities of the realized person regardless of tradition.
Commentaries 8 traditions
Shankara reads this as the qualifications for attaining Brahman. Freedom from pride and delusion means the dissolution of ahamkara (ego). Being 'ever devoted to the Self' means abiding as awareness itself. The pairs of opposites cease to disturb because the jnani has realized that sukha and duhkha belong to the body-mind, not to the Self.
Apply This Verse
Personal Growth
True maturity is not about accumulating achievements but about shedding — shedding pride, delusion, attachment, and reactivity to pleasure and pain. The qualities listed here form a practical self-assessment: where am I still gripped by ego, illusion, or craving?
Questions this verse answers
- ?"How do I know if my ego is driving my decisions?"
- ?"What does true freedom from pride look like in daily life?"
- ?"How do I stop swinging between highs and lows?"
- ?"What would it feel like to be free from delusion about myself?"