UdyamGita

An entrepreneur should never have friends or foes in business, as business scenarios keep changing. Based on market demand, the entrepreneur should be flexible enough to join hands or break alliances to safeguard the business. He should never take the actions of others to heart, as honoring or dishonoring often depends on the situations the other person is facing or visualizing. There may also be hidden agendas behind certain behaviors.

One should not get influenced by the external behavior of people around him while building relationships. He should remain neutral and focus on outcomes. He should keep all associations that negatively impact his business at a distance. He should focus only on himself and his business without comparing himself to others. He can compare to learn from others, of course, but not to feel low or feel proud.

He should not be attached to anything, including his own business. He should strive to give his best and also understand that one day he may have to step down for the business to grow further. When he has a clear and stable mind, is content with his own condition, and is detached from materialistic acquisitions, he will be able to think objectively and take the right steps on the path of the entrepreneurial journey.

Krishna now completes the portrait of His most dear devotee—one who is equipoised in every external condition.

Friend or foe, honor or insult, comfort or discomfort—none disturb inner balance. Praise and criticism are received alike. Such a person remains inwardly anchored, minimally entangled, and firmly rooted in clarity and devotion.

This is detachment with discernment.

Business Insight

In business, permanent friends and permanent enemies do not exist—only evolving realities.

Markets change. Competitors become partners. Partners become competitors. The entrepreneur who personalizes these shifts loses strategic flexibility.

Hence, mature founders:

• avoid labeling people as friends or foes,
• collaborate or disengage purely based on business needs,
• safeguard the enterprise without emotional residue.

Honor and dishonor are contextual. People behave based on their own pressures, incentives, fears, and hidden agendas. Taking such behavior personally clouds judgment and distorts relationships.

The neutral entrepreneur observes, decides, and moves on.

Leadership Lesson

Objectivity is the leader’s greatest asset.

By staying untouched by praise or criticism, leaders prevent ego inflation and emotional withdrawal. Silence here does not mean inaction—it means measured response.

Such founders:

• keep distance from associations that drain energy or harm the business,
• avoid unhealthy comparison with others,
• learn from peers without feeling inferior or superior.

The deepest insight of these verses is radical yet essential:

Do not be attached even to your own business.

A true leader knows when to step back—when the business needs new energy, structure, or leadership. This clarity comes only from a stable, unattached mind.

Key Takeaways

• Business requires flexibility, not emotional loyalty.
• Do not personalize praise, blame, honor, or insult.
• Cut off associations that negatively impact the enterprise.
• Compare only to learn—not to feel proud or small.
• Non-attachment includes readiness to step aside for growth.
• Clear decisions arise from a calm, contained, and detached mind.