The Burden of Likes and Dislikes

• The accumulation of conditioning: This verse, composed by an anonymous disciple, highlights how every human being is a bundle of rāgadveṣas (likes and dislikes, attachments and aversions) gathered over many past janmas. rāga represents our fondness for something we deem “good,” while dveṣa represents our aversion to something we deem “bad.”
• The colored glasses analogy: Because these rāgadveṣas are so deeply entrenched, we never view the creation objectively as bhagavan has given it. Instead, we look at the world through our own private, colored lenses. If someone wears yellow glasses, the entire world appears yellow; if they wear red glasses, everything appears red. Similarly, looking through the subjective lenses of our likes and dislikes prevents us from living in bhagavan‘s true world.
• Dividing the world: As a direct result of these colored glasses, we constantly divide the people around us into two distinct camps: those we consider favorable friends (bandhuhu or mitre) and those we view with hostility as foes (śatrau).

The Endless Cycle of Reconciliation

• Generating constant conflict: Because of our subjective viewpoints, every action we take inevitably pleases some and displeases others. Whether we intend to or not, we are constantly generating both friends and enemies at every moment.
• The exhaustion of patching up: Consequently, human beings spend a massive amount of their life energy trying to mend broken relationships, attempting to convert foes back into friends. The verse strictly advises against this: vigraha sandhau yatnaṃ mā kuru—do not waste your life in the endless, futile exercise of fighting and patching up with people.
• An impossible task: The teacher emphasizes that this is an eternal, unwinnable game. You will never succeed in making the entire world friendly toward you; there will always be those who are hostile and those who are amicable.

Family Politics and the Futility of People-Pleasing

• The creative misinterpretations of relatives: This endless cycle of conflict does not just happen with outsiders; it is highly prevalent within our own families. After any family function or get-together, some relatives inevitably feel closer while others feel alienated. People are incredibly creative at misinterpreting actions—assuming they were ignored or disrespected—which leads to future boycotts and the need for even more patching up.
• The story of the mother, son, and daughter: To illustrate this, Swamiji Paramarthananda shares a real-life story of a mother who came complaining that her previously loving son had suddenly stopped visiting her and did not even bring her a bouquet for her birthday. Upon further inquiry, it was revealed that the mother had recently gifted a house to her daughter, whose husband was struggling financially. Even though the mother had already given her son significantly more property in the past, the mere act of giving the house to his sister made the son deeply unhappy and hostile.
• The trap of appeasement: The mother was then caught in a trap, wondering how to appease her son. Had she given the house to the son instead, he would have brought two bouquets, but the daughter might have become the foe. This single, well-intentioned act perfectly demonstrates how easily friends and foes are created within a family, and how a person can waste their entire life trying to manage these fragile egos.

The Path of Equanimity and Spiritual Focus

• Doing what is proper: The ultimate advice of the verse is to do what you consider to be proper and completely forget what other people think of it. The world will always judge you differently, and you cannot stop them.
• Maintaining a balanced mind: The text instructs the seeker: bhava samacittaḥ sarvatra—maintain an undisturbed, balanced mind everywhere. Do not constantly react to the shifting behaviors of others. Even divine incarnations like Rama and Krishna had their share of friends and enemies, despite never viewing anyone as a foe.
• Seeking ultimate liberation: You must adopt this equanimity if you desire viṣṇutvam (mokṣa or spiritual liberation). Attaining mokṣa requires dedicating quality time to your spiritual sādhana. If you allow yourself to get dragged into neighborhood, family, company, or even ashrama politics, your precious time and mental energy will be entirely wasted.