Living beyond the reach of I and mine and of pleasure and pain, patient, contented, self-controlled, firm in faith, with all his heart and all his mind given to me--with such a one I am in love. Not frightening the world or by it frightened, he stands above the sway of elation, competition, and fear--he is my beloved. He is detached, pure, efficient, impartial, never anxious, selfless in all his undertakings--he is my devotee, very dear to me. Running not after the pleasant or away from the painful, grieving not, lusting not, but letting things come and go as they happen--he is very dear to me. That devotee who looks upon friend and foe with equal regard, who is not buoyed up by praise nor cast down by blame, alike in heat and cold, pleasure and pain, free from selfish attachments, the same in honor and dishonor, quiet, ever full, in harmony everywhere, firm in faith--such a one is dear to me. Those who meditate upon this immortal Truth as I have declared it, full of faith and seeking me as life's supreme goal, are truly my devotees, and my love for them is very great.

(The Bhagavat Gita)