The Yoga of Equanimity

Satsang by Swami Sivananda Saraswati

Perform action, O Arjuna, being steadfast in yoga, abandoning attachment and balanced in success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga.
(Bhagavad Gita, 2:48)

Samatvam is equanimity of mind and outlook, equipoise. It is being able to keep the mind steady and balanced in all the conditions of life. It is the ability to be forever serene, contented, calm and peaceful. Samatvam is having the ability to remain cheerful in adverse conditions, to have fortitude in meeting danger, and to have the presence of mind and forbearance to bear insult, injury and persecution. Samatvam means being able to go through the routine of life, amidst the din and clamour of the world, patiently and joyfully.

Samatvam is the yoga that Lord Krishna talks about at length in the Bhagavad Gita. He defines yoga as: Samatvam yoga uchyate (2:48): Samatvam is yoga; equanimity is yoga. Lord Krishna considers samatvam as that evenness of mind which is upheld by a true yogi amidst the worst of all difficulties, turmoil and calamities; as that state wherein all the mental modifications, thoughts, imaginations, whims, fancies, moods, impulses, emotions and instincts are transcended. He explains that samatvam is being able to maintain one's balance of' mind in success and failure, gain and loss, pleasure and pain, and that it is the aptitude of a perfect master who remains equipoised in all circumstances. That is samatvam, the yoga of equanimity.

The definition of samatvam goes far beyond the temporary condition of mental quietude which people speak of when they retire for a short time to a Himalayan hermitage, or to the Alps, or to a quiet nature reserve for a little rest when they are tired after a long journey. Samatvam is the attainment of absolute peace and tranquillity of the highest calibre. It is the realm of serenity where the cares, worries, anxieties and fears which torment the soul dare not enter. Samatvam is the realm of eternal sunshine where all distinctions of caste, creed and colour disappear in the warm embrace of divine love and where desires and cravings have found their full satiety.

Everyone in the world is restless and striving after something, but exactly what he does not know. He feels he is in need of something, the nature of which he does not comprehend. He gets degrees, diplomas, titles, honour, power, name and fame. He marries, begets children. In short, he gets all that he supposes would give him happiness. A person may possess immense wealth, all sorts of comforts and an easy going life, yet he will have no peace of mind because he has no inner harmony. There is discord in his heart due to greed, selfishness, egoism, lust, pride, fear, hatred, anger and worry. He finds that worldly greatness, when secured, is a delusion and a snare, and finds no peace or happiness in it. Outward harmony and quietness cannot give real peace of mind.

Goal of life
Pious people, saints and sages declare that the restlessness afflicting everyone, the state of discontent, discomfort and dissatisfaction, and the feeling of being ill at ease with oneself and one's surroundings is due to the loss of companionship with one's soul. Man has forgotten that the goal of life is the attainment of Self-realization or God-consciousness. There is one supreme, undying intelligent principle or essence, Atman or Brahman or the Supreme Self, who dwells in the chambers of everyone's heart. He exists in the past, present and future. He is existence absolute, knowledge absolute and bliss absolute. Abiding joy or lasting peace can only be obtained if man realizes his own Self through spiritual sadhana, self-restraint, purity and meditation. Ultimately, he must reach the yoga of equanimity.

The yoga of equanimity cannot be found in the acquisition of external objects. Wealth, children, property and palatial buildings cannot give everlasting peace and balance of mind. To attain the divine qualities of samatvam, the aspirant needs to realize his oneness with that one supreme Self, who lives in the silent, still nature within. When he is established in 'That', which is an ocean of peace and happiness, he will not be shaken even by heavy sorrow, loss or failure, inharmonious and disagreeable vibrations. He will be able to tide over all the difficulties or crises of life very easily and triumph in all experiences. Mysterious is this peace! Marvellous is this peace! Realize this peace that transcends all understanding through yoga sadhana, and be free. Float in this ocean of serenity and rejoice in the stillness of your own Self.

Samatvam is an internal state of mind. It can be had without the help of money and outwardly favourable circumstances. One may have sorrows and yet enjoy inward harmony and steadiness of mind if one constantly rests in God by withdrawing the senses, stilling the mind and eradicating its impurities. Lord Jesus was persecuted in a variety of ways. He was put to death on the cross and yet, what did he say? He said, "O Lord, forgive them. They know not what they are doing." How peaceful he was even when his life was at stake! He was enjoying inner peace. No tribulation or calamity could touch him.

Look within
Samatvam can be found only within. Look within. Search for it within the quietness of your mind through one-pointed concentration and meditation. If you do not find peace there, you will not find it anywhere else. Sit silently in a room for half an hour to one hour every day. Close the eyes. Relax the muscles and nerves. Withdraw the senses and the mind from external objects. Forget the body and the world. Concentrate at the space between the eyebrows. Meditate regularly in the early morning hours. Enter into the great calm or the secret place of the most high.

If you wish to enter into the great peace of the soul, all worldly desires must die. Only one who has brought the senses under perfect control and stilled the mind can meditate and rest in the Self and attain perfect equilibrium. The serenity of samatvam lies very close to those who know themselves, who are of a subdued nature and thought. One who is endowed with supreme faith and who has mastery over the senses attains the supreme peace of samatvam quickly. Equanimity is in that person who has given up 'mineness' and 'I-ness', who has given up egoism, cravings, desires and longing for objects. When this thirst dies, one enjoys the peace of a calm, steady mind. One is perfectly content. Samatvam can be enjoyed only by one who has dispassion, who has understood the magnitude and purpose of human suffering, who knows the real value of life on earth. Samatvam can be had only by one who has understood the worthlessness of perishable objects and the passing powers and positions in this world and has no desire for them.

One who has found out the real purpose of his birth in this world, who yearns for liberation, who has understood that beyond the names and forms there is one eternal, everlasting Atman, and who practises self-discipline, he alone can attain the yoga of equanimity. Such a person is a yogi of the highest order. Real peace of mind does not come from outside. It is produced in the same mind when the mind is controlled and its thoughts are checked. Great efforts must be made to check the passions and desires. Only then will the aptitude for activity be subdued and will one be at rest with the thoughts stilled.

Sincere sadhana
An ordinary worldly-minded person can neither hear the inner voice of the Atman nor attain equipoise of mind. However, it is possible to develop equilibrium or balance of mind by regular and sincere sadhana of japa, selfless service, enquiry into the Self, satsang, meditation, light sattwic food, tapas and self-study. In the world there are people with a few pure virtues such as patience, generosity and forgiveness, but a spiritual aspirant must endeavour to develop his mind as a whole, to acquire all the sattwic virtues. All sadhanas aim at purification of the mind and the attainment of equanimity, and pure, strong determination will pave a long way to achieving that state.

The mind always runs after sensual objects, even though it experiences immense misery, grief, pain and sorrow. It will never give up its old habits. The aspirant will have to captivate this shameless mind and take it to its source, Brahman, by chanting the mantra Om with feeling again and again. Let it taste the ananda, the infinite bliss of the Atman. Only then will it find its rest in Om, its original abode of eternal peace.