104. Attaining Impartiality.

Krishna says that whose mind and intellect are established in ‘That’ (Supreme) and whose sins have been dispelled by awareness reach a state of no return (5.17).

Unaware living is like living in darkness, where we keep falling and hurting ourselves. The next level is like experiencing some flashes of light where one attains awareness for a moment but falls back into ignorance. The final stage is like having permanent light like sunlight where the awareness attains a critical threshold and one never returns to ignorance. This state of no return is also referred to as moksha, the ultimate freedom. It’s not ‘my’ freedom but freedom from ‘me’ as all suffering stem from the egoic sense of ‘me’.

Samatva (equanimity) happens when one attains the state of no return and in this regard, Krishna says that the wise view a learned and cultured Brahamin, a cow, an elephant, and even a dog or dog eater as the same (5.18). Samatva is one of the foundational pillars of the Gita.

Realising the self as the self in all beings is at the core of samatva (5.7). It’s recognising that others too have virtues like us and we too have shortcomings like others. It is the ability to see the apparent contradictions or differences as a part of the same oneness, like seeing an animal and an animal eater as the same. It’s dropping hatred and dislikes which are offshoots of ignorance (5.3) by inculcating the divine quality of forgiveness (16.3). It’s applying the same justifications for our gains as well as losses. Samatva is the eternal state attained through awareness. The karma that flows out of an imbalanced mind is bound to bring misery.

Krishna assures that in this world and at this moment, those with impartial mind overcome the cycle of birth and death and are established in the faultless and impartial Brahma (eternal) (5.19).