The mind becomes clear by cultivating friendliness towards the happy, compassion towards the suffering, gladness towards the good, and equanimity towards the bad.

Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 21 September 2026

Sanskrit, in transliteration

maitrī-karuṇā-muditā-upekṣāṇāṃ sukha-duḥkha-puṇya-apuṇya-viṣayāṇāṃ bhāvanātaś citta-prasādanam

Our own plain rendering, checked against the standard published translations.

What the verse says

A list of four attitudes matched to four situations. The point is not niceness — it is that resentment, pity, envy and outrage each leave a residue in the mind, and a mind full of residue cannot settle.

In practice

This is one of the few verses that prescribes a deliberately relational practice. It can be done in traffic as easily as on a cushion.

This verse sits in Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, chapter 1 — read our commentary on the whole chapter.