अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च। निर्ममो निरहंकारः समदुःखसुखः क्षमी॥

These lines are Bhagavad Gita 12.13-14, from the twelfth chapter on devotion, bhakti yoga. The chapter begins with Arjuna asking whether devotees who worship the personal Lord or those who meditate on the unmanifest are better established, and Krishna answers, then turns to a long portrait of the devotee who is dear to him. These two lines open that portrait, and the portrait continues in the verses that follow. In each of them the refrain is that such a person is priya, dear.

The qualities are expressed in single words that are easy to follow. Adveshta is one without hatred or malice, maitra is friendly, and karuna is compassionate. Nirmama is without the feeling of mine, nirahankara is without the sense of I as a separate ego, and sama-duhkha-sukha means even-minded in pain and pleasure. Kshami is forgiving or patient. The list is notable because it describes a character, not a ritual practice, and the verses that follow describe contentment, self-control and freedom from agitation.

Because the passage is clear and ethical, it is a common choice for reading aloud at satsangs, in classrooms studying the Gita and at the end of discourses on devotion. Teachers often use it to make the point that, in the Gita's account, devotion is shown through how one treats other beings as much as through the worship one offers. Readers who want the full portrait should read the verses through to the end of the chapter.