49. Aversion is Also an Attachment



We tend to perceive a situation, a person or an outcome of a deed as good or bad. There is a third option of remaining neutral. Krishna refers to this third state and says that a wise person is one who isn’t filled with joy when coming across good nor does he hate bad and is always without attachment (2.57). This extends Krishna’s teaching that one endowed with intellect sheds both good and bad deeds (2.50). The indication is that the sthita-prajna (one with coherent intellect) drops labelling and takes facts as facts without any extrapolation, as labelling is the birthplace for polarities of pain and pleasure.

This verse is tough to understand as it runs contrary to our tendency of instantly labelling situations as good or bad. Aversion and hatred automatically follow when one encounters a situation or a person labelled as bad. On the other hand, the sthita-prajna doesn’t label it and hence the question of hating doesn’t arise for them. Similarly, when coming across good, the sthita-prajna doesn’t get overjoyed.

Krishna describes forgiveness as a quality that arises from Him (10.4) and as one of the treasures of a divinely inclined person (16.3). Forgiveness is the most effective antidote to hatred. It requires courage, awareness, and compassion to forgive another person. It also arises from the realisation that no one is the ultimate karta (doer) in this world, and therefore there is no need to blame others for the hurt they may have caused us. Forgiveness dissolves hatred and brings peace.

The sthita-prajna handles situations like a skilled surgeon who performs surgery based on facts brought out during the investigation. It’s like a superconductor that does its best to let all electricity pass freely.

We tend to either cling to or be averse to situations, people or deeds. It’s easy to understand clinging as attachment, but aversion is also a kind of attachment, however to hatred. When Krishna says that sthita-prajna is without attachment, he means that they drop both clinging and aversion.


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