समत्व
Samatva
samatva
In simple words
Samatva means staying balanced whether things go your way or not. The Gita calls this evenness itself 'yoga'.
What is it?
Samatva is the stability of mind that does not swing between elation and despair. The Gita defines yoga as this evenness and makes it the mark of the person of steady wisdom and of the true devotee. It is not indifference: one acts fully while remaining inwardly unshaken by outcomes. Sadhak Sanjivani treats samatva as the essential test of spiritual progress, more than any outer practice.
Scholar’s note
Gita 2.48 defines yoga as samatva; 2.50 adds skill in action; 5.19 links evenness with Brahman, which is itself 'even' (sama). Buddhist upekkha (equanimity) is one of the four boundless states and a factor of awakening, with a similar but not identical sense. Jain samayika is a formal practice of equanimity. Stoic apatheia is a frequent modern comparison.How its meaning differs
Equanimity reflects the Self's untouched nature; the one established in Brahman sees and responds evenly because Brahman itself is even.
A mind freed from attraction and aversion becomes still, which is the condition for concentration and discrimination.
Equanimity (upekkha) is one of the boundless states and a factor of awakening, balancing loving-kindness and compassion with non-reactivity.
Equanimity is practised formally as samayika, a period of even-minded contemplation, and is essential to stopping new karmic influx.
In the Bhagavad Gita — as Sadhak Sanjivani explains it
Summary based on Sadhak Sanjivaniसाधक-संजीवनीपर आधारित सारKrishna tells Arjuna to treat victory and defeat, gain and loss, pleasure and pain alike, and then fight; doing one's duty in equanimity, one incurs no sin (2.38). Whether the work is completed or not, the result favourable or not, whether it brings honour or insult — in all such success and failure one should stay even (2.48). Swamiji warns that it is not enough to become even once at the start, the way one worships Ganesha at the beginning of a task; one has to remain established in evenness throughout the work (2.48). Even the beginning of this evenness is never lost, and a little of it protects from the great fear of birth and death (2.40). One with equanimity lives in the world yet untouched by it, like a lotus leaf in water (2.50). The one whose mind rests in evenness has conquered the world here itself, because Brahman is flawless and even (5.19, cited in 2.48).
भगवान् अर्जुनसे कहते हैं कि जय-पराजय, लाभ-हानि और सुख-दु:खको समान करके युद्ध कर; समतापूर्वक कर्तव्य करनेसे पाप नहीं लगेगा (२।३८)। कर्म पूरा हो या न हो, फल अनुकूल हो या प्रतिकूल, आदर मिले या निरादर — इन सब सिद्धि-असिद्धिमें सम रहना चाहिये (२।४८)। स्वामीजी सावधान करते हैं कि जैसे कार्यके आरम्भमें गणेशपूजन करके फिर उसे साथ नहीं रखते, ऐसे समताको एक बार करके छोड़ नहीं देना है, हरदम समतामें स्थित रहते हुए कर्म करना है (२।४८)। इस समताके आरम्भका भी नाश नहीं होता और इसका थोड़ा-सा अनुष्ठान भी जन्म-मरणरूप महान् भयसे रक्षा करता है (२।४०)। समतायुक्त पुरुष कमलके पत्तेकी तरह संसारमें रहते हुए भी संसारसे निर्लिप्त रहता है (२।५०)। जिनका मन समतामें स्थित है, उन्होंने यहीं संसारको जीत लिया, क्योंकि ब्रह्म निर्दोष और सम है (५।१९, २।४८ में उद्धृत)।
समता ही योग है अर्थात् समता परमात्माका स्वरूप है। वह समता अन्त:करणमें निरन्तर बनी रहनी चाहिये।Where it appears in the Gita
Treat victory and defeat alike — then fight, and incur no sin
जय-पराजयको समान करके युद्ध कर, पाप नहीं लगेगा
सुखदु:खे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ।
Holding victory and defeat, gain and loss, pleasure and pain as equal, engage in battle; so you will incur no sin.
जय-पराजय, लाभ-हानि और सुख-दुःखको समान करके युद्धमें लग जा; इस प्रकार तुझे पाप नहीं लगेगा।
2.40No effort towards evenness is ever lost
समताका थोड़ा-सा भी प्रयास व्यर्थ नहीं जाता
नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते।
Even the beginning of evenness is never destroyed, it never backfires, and even a little of it protects from the great fear of birth and death.
समताके आरम्भका नाश नहीं होता, उसका उलटा फल नहीं होता और उसका थोड़ा-सा भी अनुष्ठान जन्म-मरणके महान् भयसे रक्षा करता है।
2.48Evenness itself is Yoga
समत्व ही योग है
योगस्थ: कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय।
Giving up attachment, staying even in success and failure, established in Yoga, do your work — for evenness is called Yoga.
आसक्तिका त्याग करके, सिद्धि-असिद्धिमें सम होकर, योगमें स्थित हुआ कर्म कर; क्योंकि समत्व ही योग कहा जाता है।
2.50Yoga is the true skill in action
कर्मोंमें योग ही कुशलता है
बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते।
One endowed with evenness is freed from both merit and sin here itself; so devote yourself to Yoga — Yoga alone is skill in action.
समतायुक्त मनुष्य यहीं पुण्य-पाप दोनोंसे मुक्त हो जाता है; अत: योगमें लग जा, कर्मोंमें योग ही कुशलता है।
5.19इहैव तैर्जित: सर्गो येषां साम्ये स्थितं मन:।
जिनका अन्त:करण समतामें स्थित है, उन्होंने इस जीवित-अवस्थामें ही सम्पूर्ण संसारको जीत लिया है अर्थात् वे जीवन्मुक्त हो गये हैं; क्योंकि ब्रह्म निर्दोष (और) सम है, इसलिये वे ब्रह्ममें (ही) स्थित हैं।
12.18सम: शत्रौ च मित्रे च तथा मानापमानयो:।
(जो) शत्रु और मित्रमें तथा मान-अपमानमें सम है (और) शीत-उष्ण (शरीर-की अनुकूलता-प्रतिकूलता) तथा सुख-दु:ख-(मन-बुद्धिकी अनुकूलता-प्रतिकूलता-) में सम है एवं आसक्तिरहित है (और) जो निन्दा-स्तुतिको समान समझने-वाला, मननशील, जिस किसी प्रकारसे भी (शरीरका निर्वाह होने-न-होनेमें) सन्तुष्ट रहनेके स्थान तथा शरीरमें ममता-आसक्तिसे रहित (और) स्थिर बुद्धिवाला है, (वह) भक्तिमान् मनुष्य मुझे प्रिय है।
Where else it appears
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Trace the idea from one source to the next.
- 1Gita verseBhagavad Gita 2.38Treat pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat alike.
- 2Gita verseBhagavad Gita 2.48Evenness is called yoga.
- 3Gita verseBhagavad Gita 5.19Evenness of mind and Brahman.
- 4Gita verseBhagavad Gita 12.18Evenness as a mark of the beloved devotee.
- 5Conceptस्थितप्रज्ञSthitaprajna — steady wisdomThe portrait of the person established in equanimity.
- 6Traditionबौद्ध दर्शनBuddhist philosophyCompare the Buddhist quality of upekkha.
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