Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10, Verse 4
बुद्धिर्ज्ञानमसम्मोहः क्षमा सत्यं दमः शमः | सुखं दुःखं भवोऽभावो भयं चाभयमेव च ||
buddhir jñānam asammohaḥ kṣamā satyaṁ damaḥ śamaḥ sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ bhavo 'bhāvo bhayaṁ cābhayam eva ca
Intelligence, knowledge, non-delusion, forgiveness, truthfulness, self-control, calmness, happiness, distress, birth, death, fear, and fearlessness—all arise from Me alone.
Krishna enumerates the qualities that arise from Him, showing His presence in everything—both positive and negative experiences. 'Buddhiḥ'—intellect, 'jñānam'—knowledge, 'asammohaḥ'—non-delusion, 'kṣamā'—forgiveness, 'satyam'—truthfulness, 'damaḥ'—self-control, 'śamaḥ'—calmness. These are positive qualities. But He also includes: 'sukham'—happiness, 'duḥkham'—distress, 'bhavo'—birth, 'abhāvaḥ'—death, 'bhayam'—fear, 'abhayam'—fearlessness. This is profound: Krishna is the source of both happiness and distress, birth and death, fear and fearlessness. This isn't saying everything is good—it's showing that everything comes from the Supreme. When you recognize the source, you see differently: not trying to avoid distress or seek only happiness, but recognizing the source behind both.