The essence of the Bhagavad Gita is to attain internal equanimity and realise external harmony. Equanimity (samatva) is the crux of the preachings of every enlightened soul that has ever roamed this planet. Words, languages and methods could vary but the message is to attain samatva. Any preaching or practice contrary to this is dogmatic.

Internal Equanimity

Krishna tells Arjuna that he would incur no sin when he fights (performing any action - karma) by treating sukh (pleasure) and dukh (pain); labh (gain) and nasht (losses); and jaya (victory) and parajay (defeat) with equipoise (2.38). Be steadfast in the performance of your duty, O Arjuna, abandoning attachment to success and failure. Such equanimity is called Yoga (2.48). Krishna further elaborates that the best yogi is he who feels for others, whether in grief or pleasure, as he feels for himself (6.32). Together, these verses capture the entire essence of the equanimity in Gita.

Krishna highlights samatva-bhaav, samatva-drishti and samatva-buddhi at various places. Equanimity is easy to understand but difficult to internalize. The difficulty with us is that we tend to identify with one or more artificial divisions based on culture, religion, caste, nationality, race and gender. This identification creates difficulty to attain equanimity. The ability to overcome these divisions and to treat two different people equally is the first step towards equanimity. This is akin to the principle of equality before the law for all citizens which is enshrined in the constitutions of countries across the world.

The next level of progression in equanimity is an ability to see two people as equal, where one is close to us and the other is not. Examples include being happy for the success of our children’s friends especially when our kids didn’t do well, treating mother and mother-in-law equally, treating daughter and daughter-in-law equally etc.

The highest level of equanimity is the ability to equate others to ourselves. It is the ability to maintain balance when others get what we believe belongs to us, like a promotion, fame, credit for good work, property etc. The obstacle in attaining this highest form of equanimity is our mind, which is trained to divide. Instead of allowing it to dominate, we should be able to make it subservient. The degree of equanimity in us is an indicator of our progress in the spiritual journey.

Implications of Imbalance

Understanding imbalance will help us to give more clarity about equanimity. Krishna says that the ‘ayukta’ (imbalanced) lacks both buddhi (intellect) and bhaav (emotions) and as a result, he will not get ‘shanti’ (peace) and there is no joy for the peaceless (2.66). Our general presumption is that ‘peace of mind’ automatically follows pleasure, winning and profit. Krishna gives a paradigm shift when he says that the ‘balanced’ are entitled for ‘peace of mind’ and joy.

Till we learn to centre ourselves in the ‘middle’, we are likely to anchor ourselves at one of the ‘other’ centres like friends, enemy, work, spouse, children, money, pleasure, power, possessions etc. and such anchoring is the hallmark of the ayukta.

If someone is centred on money, all his plans and actions revolve around maximizing wealth at the cost of all other things like relationships, health etc. One doesn’t hesitate to deceive, cheat or do anything to attain pleasure if one is ‘pleasure centric’. A spouse-oriented person evaluates the entire world as to how their spouse is treated. One can also be ‘enemy centred’, thinking about how to harm their enemies even if it harms themselves.

When we are tied to others, our peace of mind is in their hands, making us dependent. That’s why Krishna insists on equanimity where we are centred in the middle which is the ultimate freedom (moksha).

Krishna uses the word ‘bhaav’, which we often equate with our emotions. Any person or thing, when tied to ‘me’ evokes deeper emotions, otherwise, they may not even touch our heart. This implies that all our emotions are subjective, but Krishna is referring to bhaav that arises out of equanimity, one that remains the same, whether or not it involves the ‘me’.

External Harmony

Krishna says, “The yogi, who remains unshaken, who has conquered the senses, to whom a lump of earth, stone and gold are the same, is said to be realised one” (6.8). He further said that he who has equal regard for the patrons, strangers, relatives, friends, enemies, meditators, hateful beings, righteous and ungodly, is the best (6.9). In the aforementioned verses, Krishna is referring to the external harmony we perceive when we attain internal equanimity.

Harmony governs the world and no complex physical entity, including our body, can survive without this harmony. From smallest particles like electrons, protons and neutrons to the biggest galaxies, planets and stars are in harmony.

A miracle called the human body, which hosts about thirty trillion cells and another thirty trillion bacteria is the best example of such harmony. Further, the human body consists of many organs, systems and chemicals which perform thousands of internal actions on a regular basis. Even if a couple of them are missed, harmony would be lost, and the body would suffer or perish.

Equanimity is devotion (bhakti)

Krishna gives a universal meaning to devotion and says, “Serene in the self by being engrossed in the Brahma (the eternal), neither grieves nor desires and beholds equality in all beings, such a yogi attains parama bhakti (supreme devotion) to Me (18.54). By that supreme devotion he knows My essence - what and who I am; after knowing these truths, he quickly makes his entry into ‘That’ (tat)” (18.55). Beholding equanimity in all beings is nothing but devotion.

Two more verses are relevant in this regard. Krishna says that He truly sees who perceives Parameswar (supreme Lord) present equally in all beings as the imperishable among the perishable (13.28). Devotion is nothing but identifying the imperishable amidst the perishable.

Krishna says that united with the self, he sees the self in all beings and all the beings in the self; he sees the same everywhere (6.29); perceives Me everywhere (6.30). These existential verses convey the fundamental truth that a part of us in others and a part of theirs is in us. This indicates that Interdependence and harmony of this existence. The Lord is present equally in all beings and devotion (bhakti) is nothing but realising this truth.