Lord Krishna describes the nature of those who seek Him. They see in Him the essence of Absolute Truth, the Supreme Being. They hold Him in high esteem knowing His transcendental qualities. The Lord also holds them in high esteem and claims that they are very dear to Him. The Lord’s regard for those whose minds are steeped in Him always is such that they are never out of His purview at any time and are taken care of by Him meticulously, pointed out Srimati Rukmini Ramamurthy in a lecture.
This kind of a mutual bond, when established between an individual and the Lord, is conducive to bringing about equanimity — a trait that is difficult to cultivate despite our best efforts. For when we are caught in this world of flux with its curious mix of joy and sorrow we are unable to maintain a calm nature.
The three gunas that govern an individual’s body- mind complex constantly affect one’s personality and nature. They give rise to feelings of like and dislike, love and hatred, etc. Envy, jealousy, anger, desire, pride and ego are the greatest enemies to one who wishes to practise equanimity. Joy and sorrow are responses of an individual to certain happenings that depend on one’s gunas.
When one is aligned with God and is able to see, without any bias, God’s presence in all beings, one can hope to overcome dislike and hatred. Practice of non-violence or Ahimsa is described not merely as a noble gesture, but also as a strong spiritual trait that reflects God’s compassion to all beings. The awareness that because of physical and mental changes there are likely to be gain or loss and the ability to accept one’s present state as due to one’s past karma is necessary.
A yogi knows that what is happiness for one can be sorrow to another. He has controlled his mind — the result of long years of practice, spanning the physical, verbal, mental and intellectual levels. The mind plays a submissive role accepting his dictates unlike in us. Yet, a yogi is not an island in himself. He lives in this world but does not allow the world to enter his consciousness.
