Sanskrit
अनपेक्षः शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथः । सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥
anapekṣaḥ śucir dakṣa udāsīno gatavyathaḥ sarvārambhaparityāgī yo madbhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ
Translation
He who wants nothing, is pure, expert, passionless, untroubled, renouncing every undertaking, he, My devotee, is dear to Me.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
“Dakṣa” — expert, competent — is the notable outlier in this line. Sandwiched between wanting nothing and renouncing every undertaking, it names practical competence as a mark of the devotee, not just detachment or withdrawal; the portrait isn’t asking for passivity, only for action performed without personal stake, consistent with verse 11’s renunciation of fruits rather than of activity itself.