Master the Art of Equanimity
Within the timeless wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita lies the key to navigating our chaotic world: the art of equanimity. This profound teaching from Shri Krishna isn’t about becoming emotionless, but about cultivating a resilient and balanced mind that can handle life’s inevitable ups and downs with grace. It’s a journey that begins with understanding the true source of our struggles and learning to master our inner world, so that outer events no longer have the power to disturb our peace.
The Fleeting Nature of Pleasure and Pain
At the heart of this teaching is a simple but powerful truth: our feelings of happiness and distress are temporary. Shri Krishna explains that these sensations—the warmth of the sun, the sting of criticism, the joy of success—all arise from the contact of our senses with the world. They come, and they go. Our suffering is born from our desperate attempt to hold on to the pleasant moments and push away the unpleasant ones. The first step toward inner peace is to simply acknowledge this pattern and, as Krishna advises, learn to bear these shifting dualities with patience.
Your True Self: The Unchanging Anchor
The foundation for genuine equanimity is knowing your true identity. The Gita draws a clear line between the temporary, physical body and the eternal, unchanging soul. While our circumstances and bodies are in a constant state of flux, our true essence is indestructible and forever stable. This teaching encourages us to anchor ourselves in this deeper reality. Imagine a mighty oak tree in a storm; it bends and sways with the wind, yet its roots hold it firm. Similarly, we can learn to engage with life’s experiences while remaining securely rooted in our true, unchanging Self.
A Practical Guide to Inner Peace
So, how do we cultivate this state in our daily lives? Shri Krishna offers practical advice. One powerful technique is to gently remind yourself during both good and bad times, “even this will pass.” This simple phrase helps keep you grounded, preventing you from getting carried away by joy or overwhelmed by sorrow. The goal isn’t to become indifferent to the world, but to practice detached engagement—to act with courage and fulfill your responsibilities, while serenely accepting the things that are beyond your control. Developing this calm, balanced mind is the path to true freedom and a deeply meaningful life.
If you have not already done so, I would request you to review the Chapter 1, Arjuna Vishada Yoga before studying chapter 2 as that would help set the right context.
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Verse 2.14 – 2.18
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदु: खदा: |
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ||14||
mātrā-sparśhās tu kaunteya śhītoṣhṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino ’nityās tans-titikṣhasva bhārata
मात्रास्पर्शाः (mātrāsparśāḥ) – contacts of senses with objects; तु (tu) indeed; कौन्तेय (kaunteya) – O Kaunteya; शीतोष्ण सुख दुःखदाः (śītoṣṇa sukha duḥkhadāḥ) – producers of cold and heat, pleasure and pain; आगमापायिनः (āgamāpāyinaḥ) – with beginning and end; अनित्याः (anityāḥ) – impermanent; तान् (tān) – them; तितिक्षस्व (titiksasva) – bear (thou); भारत (bhārata).
The contacts of the senses with their objects create, O son of Kunti, feelings of heat and cold, of pain and pleasure. They come and go and are impermanent. Bear them patiently, O Bharata.
यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ |
समदु:खसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते || 15||
yaṁ hi na vyathayantyete puruṣhaṁ puruṣharṣhabha
sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ so ’mṛitatvāya kalpate
यम् (yam) – whom; हि (hi) surely; न व्यथयन्ति (na vyathayanti) afflict not; एते (ete) these; पुरुषम् (puruṣam) man; पुरुष ॠषभ (puruṣa ṛṣabha) chief among men; समदुःखसुखम् (sama duḥkha sukham) same in pleasure and pain; धीरम् (dhīram) firm; सः (saḥ) he; अमृतत्वाय (amṛtatvāya) for immortality; कल्पते (kalpate) is fit.
O noblest amongst men, that person who is not affected by happiness and distress, and remains steady in both, becomes eligible for liberation.
नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सत: |
उभयोरपि द्रष्टः अन्तः तु अनयो: तत्त्व-दर्शिभि: || 16||
nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
ubhayorapi dṛiṣhṭo ’nta stvanayos tattva-darśhibhiḥ
न (na) – not; असतः (asataḥ) – of the unreal; विद्यते (vidyate) is; भावः (bhāvaḥ) – being; न (na) – not; अभावः (abhāvaḥ) – nonbeing; विद्यते (vidyate) is; सतः (sataḥ) – of the real; उभयोः (ubhayoḥ) – of the two; अपि (api) – also; दृष्टः (dṛṣṭaḥ) – (has been) seen; अन्तः (antaḥ) – the final truth; तु (tu) – indeed; अनयोः (anayoḥ) – of these; तत्त्वदर्शिभिः (tattvadarśibhiḥ) – by the knowers of the truth.
The transient has no lasting existence, while the eternal never ceases to be. The conclusion about both these has been perceived and concluded by the seers of the Truth, after studying the nature of both.
अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् |
विनाशमव्ययस्यास्य न कश्चित्कर्तुमर्हति || 17||
avināśhi tu tadviddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam
vināśham avyayasyāsya na kaśhchit kartum arhati
अविनाशि (avināśi) – indestructible; तु (tu) indeed; तत् (tat) – that; विद्धि (viddhi) – know (thou); येन (yena) – by whom; सर्वम् (sarvam) – all; इदम् (idam) – this; ततम् (tatam) – is pervaded; विनाशम् (vināśam) – destruction; अव्ययस्य अस्य (avyayasya asya) – of the imperishable; न (na) – not; कश्चित् (kaścit) – anyone; कर्तुम् (kartum) – to do; अर्हति (arhati) – is able.
That which pervades the entire body, you should know that it is indestructible. No one can cause the destruction of the imperishable soul.
अन्तवन्त इमे देहा नित्यस्योक्ता: शरीरिण: |
अनाशिनोऽप्रमेयस्य तस्माद्युध्यस्व भारत || 18||
antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śharīriṇaḥ
anāśhino ’prameyasya tasmād yudhyasva bhārata
अन्तवन्तः (antavantaḥ) – having an end; इमे (ime) – these; देहाः (dehāḥ) – bodies; नित्यस्य (nityasya) – of the everlasting; उक्ताः (uktāḥ) – are said; शरीरिणः (śarīriṇaḥ) – of the embodied; अनाशिनः (anāśinaḥ) – of the indestructible; अप्रमेयस्य (aprameyasya) – of the immeasurable; तस्मात् (tasmāt) – therefore; युध्यस्व (yudhyasva) – fight; भारत (bhārata) – O Bharata.
Only the material body is perishable; the embodied soul within is indestructible, immeasurable, and eternal. Therefore, fight, O descendent of Bharat.
Transcending Life’s Dualities: The Art of Equanimity
In the preceding verses, Shri Krishna laid the foundation for Arjuna’s spiritual awakening, emphasizing the crucial role of the guru, the pursuit of self-realization, and the eternal nature of the true self. Now, He transitions from the theoretical to the practical, revealing how this profound understanding can be applied to navigate the ups and downs of everyday life.
The battlefield of Kurukshetra, with its impending clash of armies and the raw emotions it evokes, becomes a powerful metaphor for the internal battlefield we all face. It is here that Shri Krishna imparts a timeless lesson on mastering our perceptions and finding inner stability amidst the chaos.
The journey from spiritual knowledge to lived wisdom begins with a fundamental shift in how we relate to life’s endless flow of experiences. Like a masterful conductor orchestrating the transformation of his students, Shri Krishna now reveals the art of equanimity, which is the sacred skill of remaining centered in our true nature while the world around us fluctuates between pleasure and pain, success and failure, praise and blame.
मात्रा-स्पर्शाः तु कौन्तेय शीत-उष्ण-सुख-दुःख-दाः ।
आगम-अपायिनः अनित्याः तान् तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥ १४ ॥
mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino ‘nityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
O son of Kunti, the contact between the senses and the sense objects gives rise to fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress. These are non-permanent, having a beginning and an end, so one should learn to tolerate them.
Shri Krishna, with divine insight, begins to reveal the very mechanism of our suffering. He explains that the world we experience is a constant stream of mātrā-sparśa, the contact between our senses and their objects. The gentle warmth of the sun on our skin, the chill feeling of cold breeze, the sweet taste of a fruit, the melodious notes of a beloved song, the sharp sting of criticism, etc., all are part of this endless stream.
These experiences, He points out, are defined by three inescapable qualities:
- They come (āgama),
- They go (apāya), and
- They are impermanent (anitya).
They come and they go and they are impermanent.
Like the ever-shifting clouds in the sky, they are in a constant state of flux. To seek permanence in the fleeting is to set ourselves up for disappointment. Our suffering, then, is not inherent in the experiences themselves, but in our desperate attachment to the pleasant and our equally desperate aversion to the unpleasant. We try to hang on to the moments of joy, hoping to keep them permanently, while frantically pushing away the experiences of sorrow, trying to keep them away permanently.
We want the pleasure to last forever and the pain to never arrive. But this is like trying to hold onto a wave or push away the tide. It’s an exercise in futility that only creates more suffering.
This verse is the beginning of the journey towards stithaprajna that He will explain later in this chapter.
The solution to this self-inflicted torment is to develop a state of mind that enables graceful endurance with profound equanimity. This is not a passive resignation or a mere suppression of emotion. It is an active, conscious choice to remain anchored in our true, unchanging Self, while allowing the waves of experience to wash over us. Imagine a mighty oak tree in a storm. It bends and sways with the fierce winds, yet its roots remain firmly planted in the earth. Similarly, we can learn to navigate the storms of life with resilience, knowing that our essential nature is untouched by the passing weather of our experiences.
This is a lesson on how we can participate fully in life without getting entangled in it or giving in to its power to create bondage.
As quoted by Swami Chinmayananda, and as described in Vedanta, an object is perceived not BY the sense-organs but THROUGH them.
Our sense organs are the instruments, but it is our inner consciousness that is the true perceiver. The quality of our perception is filtered through the lens of our mind. This is why the same stimulus can evoke vastly different reactions in different people. A playful puppy might elicit feelings of warmth and affection in one person, while triggering fear and anxiety in another who has had a negative experience with dogs.
The experiences of our own lives confirm this truth. The thrill of a roller coaster ride that delighted us as children might now seem nauseating. The music we once cherished may seem repulsive now. The objects and events of the world are neutral, and it is our mind that paints them with the colors of “good” and “bad.”
The core concept here is that it is our mind which is responsible for how we perceive objects and events. The objects themselves do not dictate what the perception should be. This is the actual meaning behind the famous quote by Prince Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play ‘The Hamlet’. “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so“.
Shri Krishna is explaining the same concept here to help us understand that if we can learn to manage our mind, then external objects and events will cease to disturb or trouble us. We humans are always trying to control our external environments and other people and other situations whereas, as Shri Krishna masterfully explains, all we have to do is to learn to train and control our own minds in order to achieve a state of balance and bliss.
The need for a calm and balanced mind
A mind that can endure both pleasure and pain calmly is a prerequisite for self realization. In fact, Shri Krishna explains that only a person who has been able to develop such a mind is fit for self realization and liberation. As discussed earlier, our true purpose of having a human life is to utilize this body to achieve self realization and liberation. And thus, it should become our primary goal to control and train our minds to be balanced and calm during pain and pleasure. That is the most important training we require and we can do this in small steps. Although it has to be done regularly and consistently.
We can begin with small, everyday practices. For example, when it rains, instead of complaining that it is cold and gloomy, we should train our minds to appreciate the importance of rain and cherish the pure cold water showering so freely upon us. Likewise, if it gets just a little hot, let us not demand for a fan or AC and instead learn to enjoy the heat.
In verse 2.15, Shri Krishna encourages Arjuna to develop this kind of calmness of mind.
यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ |
समदु:खसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते || 15||
yaṁ hi na vyathayantyete puruṣhaṁ puruṣharṣhabha
sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ so ’mṛitatvāya kalpate
O noblest amongst men, that person who is not affected by happiness and distress, and remains steady in both, becomes eligible for liberation.
He addresses Arjuna as “puruṣharṣhabha,” which means “noblest among men.” This is not mere flattery; it is a strategic and compassionate act of a divine teacher who sees the inherent potential in his student. By addressing Arjuna with such a powerful and uplifting term, Shri Krishna is reminding him of his own inner strength and nobility, inspiring him to rise to the occasion and embrace the challenging path that lies ahead.
Equanimity by realizing that everything will pass
This does not mean that we become totally emotionless. It is OK to feel happy or sad. We should just not get too excited in good times or too agitated during bad times. The easiest way to achieve this is to always tell ourselves that “even this will pass”. This applies to both good as well as bad times and will help us stay grounded and calm under all situations. That is why Shri Krishna says tān titikṣasva ‘bear with them’, because they are anityāḥ, ‘they are not permanent’.
Shankaracharya has said this in verse 24 of his famous work, Vivekachudamani:
सहनं सर्वदुःखानामप्रतीकारपूर्वकम् ।
चिन्ताविलापरहितं सा तितिक्षा निगद्यते ॥ २४ ॥
sahanaṃ sarvaduḥkhānāmapratīkārapūrvakam |
cintāvilāparahitaṃ sā titikṣā nigadyate || 24 ||
The bearing of all afflictions without caring to redress them, being free (at the same time) from anxiety or self-pity or complaining, is called Titikṣā or forbearance.
And one of my all time favorite quotes from the west is the one contained in the ‘Serenity Prayer’ by Reinhold Niebuhr:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
So again, the lesson is for us to practice ‘detachment’, not ‘indifference’. If we see an unpleasant situation that we can control or change, then we should. However, if the situation is unpleasant and not in our control, we must serenely accept it.
The great saint Sai baba of Shirdi gives us the secret to handling all the ups and downs in life in just two words ‘Shraddha (faith) and Saburi (patience and perseverance)’. Have faith in yourself and in the Lord. And practice patience and perseverance.
Lord Buddha has taught that such equanimity of mind is required to protect us from the Eight Worldly Winds: praise and blame, success and failure, pleasure and pain, fame and disrepute.
Becoming attached to or excessively elated with success, praise, fame, or pleasure can become a cause for suffering when the times change. Success can feel wonderful, however if it leads to arrogance, then we will fail in the long run. Becoming attached to praise can lead to vanity and that will make us commit a lot of costly mistakes leading to disrepute and loss of name and fame. And if we identify ourselves with our failures, we may feel incompetent or inadequate. Reacting to pain, we may become discouraged.
When we cultivate a calm and balanced mind, we will be able to realize that our sense of inner well-being is independent of the Eight Winds. That is true freedom. This is one of the most empowering realizations we should aim to have and it rightfully sets us on the path to liberation.
Pragma 2: A calm mind is essential for liberation. Learn to handle pain and pleasure calmly.
Sat and Asat
From 2.16 onwards, the terms sat and asat are used. These mean true and not-true and they also mean real and not-real. In Sankhya philosophy, The Sat is also termed as the ‘cause’ and the Asat is termed as the ‘effect’. The ‘Sat’ is the absolute truth, the eternal Lord, and the ‘Sat’ is responsible for everything in the material Universe that has been manifested. Asat is ever changing. Sat is never changing. The physical body and everything we perceive via our physical senses are Asat because they are ever changing and so we should not cling on to these temporary things.
In the holy Guru Granth Sahib that the Sikhs follow, it is mentioned that:
aadh sach jugaadh sach
hai bhee sach naanak hosee bhee sach
True In The Primal Beginning. True Throughout The Ages.
True Here And Now. O Nanak, Forever And Ever True.
That is the nature of ‘sat’ or the absolute truth.
When it comes to asat, more than 2500 years ago, the great Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously said “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”
That is a classic example of the ever changing nature of all things material. Truth is eternal, never changing. Whatever changes cannot be the truth. It has to be unreal, an illusion.
Another very important point to note is the use of the word तत्त्वदर्शिभि: (tattva-darśhibhiḥ) which means ‘knowers of the nature of soul’. The word ‘tattvam’ in Sanskrit means ‘the true nature of a thing’. This is very different from the word ‘matam’ which means ‘opinion’.
By using this term, Shri Krishna is emphasizing that He is not merely sharing His personal views, but is revealing timeless, universal truths about the nature of reality.
This should help us develop deep conviction in the teachings He is imparting.
The goal of the soul
The great philosopher Aristotle said “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts” and this holds true for humans. We are greater than the sum of our body parts. Someone in the USA did a detailed analysis of all the chemicals and components an average human body is made up of and calculated that the total cost of all the chemicals and other materials that our body consists of would be less than $50. LOL. Is that what we are worth? Of course not. We know that human life is priceless, so it has to be more than just the physical body.
This soul is described in vedic literature as being smaller than one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair point in size. In the Svetasvatara Upanishad (5.9 and 5.10) it is written:
बालाग्रशतभागस्य शतधा कल्पितस्य च ।
भागो जीवः स विज्ञेयः स चानन्त्याय कल्पते ॥९॥
bālāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca
bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa cānantyāya kalpate
जीवः च the individual soul शतधा कल्पितस्य divided a hundred times वालाग्रशतभागस्य of the hundredth part of the point of a hair भागः part. सः he आनन्त्याय कल्पते is capable of infinity. सः he च and विज्ञेयःis to be known.
That individual soul is as subtle as a hair-point divided and sub-divided hundreds of times. Yet he is potentially infinite. He has to be known.
नैव स्त्री न पुमानेष न चैवायं नपुंसकः ।
यद्यच्छरीरमादत्ते तेन तेन स युज्यते ॥१०॥
naiva strī na pumāneṣa na caivāyaṃ napuṃsakaḥ
yadyac-charīram ādatte tena tena sa yujyate
एषः he न एव स्त्रीं is neither female न पुमान् nor male, अयम् he न एव नपुंसकः is not even neuter च and यत् यत् whatever शरीरम् body आदत्ते assumes तेन तेन with each one of that सः he युज्यते is identified.
He is neither female, nor male, nor neuter. Whatever body he assumes, he becomes identified with that.
In the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3.1.9) the measurement of the atomic spirit soul is explained:
एषोऽणुरात्मा चेतसा वेदितव्यो
यस्मिन् प्राणः पञ्चधा संविवेश ।
प्राणैश्चित्तं सर्वमोतं प्रजानां
यस्मिन्नेतद्युगं वश्वमोतं च आत्मा ॥
eṣo ’ṇur ātmā cetasā veditavyo
yasmin prāṇaḥ pañcadhā saṁviveśa
prāṇaiś cittaṁ sarvam otaṁ prajānāṁ
yasmin viśuddhe vibhavaty eṣa ātmā
The soul is atomic in size and can be perceived by perfect intelligence. This atomic soul is floating in the five kinds of air (prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, samāna and udāna), is situated within the heart, and spreads its influence all over the body of the embodied living entities.
When the soul is purified from the contamination of the five kinds of material air, its spiritual influence is exhibited.”
This is the goal of all the yogas.
With this profound understanding of the soul’s indestructible nature, Shri Krishna brings Arjuna back to the immediate reality of the battlefield. He reassures him that only the physical body perishes; the soul is eternal and cannot be harmed. He urges Arjuna to anchor himself in this truth, to cast aside his confusion and grief, and to rise and fight for Dharma.
The word “fight” here represents more than physical combat. It symbolizes the inner battle we must wage against ignorance, the courage to stand for truth, and the determination to fulfill our dharmic responsibilities despite the temporary discomfort it may cause to our physical and emotional selves.
Shri Krishna’s message is both liberating and empowering. Since the soul cannot be destroyed, and since material circumstances are temporary, we should act with courage and conviction in alignment with truth and righteousness. We need not be paralyzed by fear of loss or change, for what we truly are, which is consciousness itself, is beyond all loss and change.
This teaching transforms our entire relationship with life. Instead of being victims of circumstance, we become conscious participants in existence, rooted in our eternal nature yet fully engaged with our temporary roles. We learn to hold our identities lightly while taking our responsibilities seriously.
Shri Krishna’s wisdom reveals the secret of fearless living. When we know our true identity as eternal consciousness, temporarily manifesting through human form, we can face any challenge with equanimity.
This is the art of participating fully in life while remaining unattached to outcomes, serving others while not losing ourselves in service, pursuing goals while not being defined by success or failure.
Hare Krishna!
kṛṣṇadaasa
(Servant of Krishna)