ये तु धर्म्यामृतमिदं यथोक्तं पर्युपासते।श्रद्दधाना मत्परमा भक्तास्तेऽतीव मे प्रियाः।।12.20।।
ye tu dharmyāmṛitam idaṁ yathoktaṁ paryupāsate śhraddadhānā mat-paramā bhaktās te ’tīva me priyāḥ
Scripture Translation Room
Sanskrit to English Translation
A Reading - Rantideb
Why: those who follow this path of immortal wisdom with faith, holding Krishna as supreme, full of devotion, are exceedingly dear to him, closing the chapter by tying the entire list of character qualities back to genuine faith and devotion as the animating force behind them.
In life: this whole list of admirable qualities, kindness, steadiness, equanimity, isn't meant to be pursued as isolated character traits to check off, they're meant to grow naturally out of some genuine underlying devotion or care.
Teaching: if you've been trying to build these qualities in yourself one by one without much success, consider whether the missing piece is actually a genuine underlying devotion or sense of purpose, which this verse suggests is what makes the qualities grow naturally, rather than needing to be forced individually.