He for whom blame and praise are alike; the silent one, possessed of silence, of restrained speech; content with whatever, with any mere means of the body's upkeep, as it has been said, 'covered with whatever, fed with whatever, lying down wherever it may be: him the gods know as a brāhmaṇa' (Mahābhārata, Śānti 245.12). Further, homeless: he who has no fixed home, no resort, no settled dwelling, by another remembered text such as 'living without a house'. Of steady understanding: he whose understanding, bearing on the supreme reality, is steady. Such a man, possessed of devotion, is dear to Me. The array of dharmas begun with 'hating no being' (Gītā 12.13), the dharmas of the worshippers of the Imperishable, the renouncers who have turned from every longing, steadfast in the knowledge of the supreme truth, is now summed up.

This is a brief sub-gloss. For a fuller reading of this verse, see Madhusūdana, Śaṅkara, or Rāmānuja above.

Ramanuja's commentary treats verses 12.18 through 12.19 as a single passage; it is given in full at verse 12.18.

This is a brief sub-gloss. For a fuller reading of this verse, see Madhusūdana, Śaṅkara, or Rāmānuja above.

Madhvacharya does not comment on this verse.