
Krishna says, "Those devotees are very dear to Me who do not hate any being, who are friendly and compassionate, who are ๐ฃ๐๐ง-๐ข๐๐ข๐ (๐จ๐๐ฃ๐จ-๐) ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ง-๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ง (๐จ๐๐ฃ๐จ -๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐ค๐๐ง), who are balanced in pleasure and pain (๐จ๐๐ข๐-๐๐ช๐ ๐-๐จ๐ช๐ ๐) and forgiving (๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ข๐) . Who are ever-content, self controlled yogi, having firm conviction, and who have their mind and intellect dedicated to Me" (12.13 and 12.14).
At the outset, this appears to run contrary to Krishna's earlier assurance that none is ๐๐ฌ๐๐จ๐๐ฎ๐ (hateful) and none is ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ (dear) to Him (9.29). While HIS blessings are available to everyone like rain, possessing these qualities is like keeping our bowl upright.
'Not hating anyone' is at the core of the Bhagavad Gita. Earlier Krishna advised to perform ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐๐จ (actions) by dropping hatred (5.3). When hatred becomes a part of us, shedding it becomes painful as it makes us lose a part of ourselves. It's like removing a harmful cancerous tumor, removal of which will still cause pain to us.
On the other hand, it is essential to drop hatred as it drives our behaviour and actions. 'Forgiveness' is the best antidote for hatred. Forgiveness requires courage and inculcating ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐ (equanimity) gives that courage. ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐ is not only treating things and people as equal but also realising that we too possess the same negative qualities like greed and anger suppressed within us. Conversely, we have an aversion to these traits when we find them in others.
Krishna earlier said that ๐ฃ๐๐ง-๐ข๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ง-๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ง is the path for peace (2.71). Similarly, 'ever content' is another foundational principle in the Gita. Essentially, when one quality is attained, others will follow automatically as they are interconnected. It's about identifying one of these traits that suits us and mastering it at the existential level.