Pragmatic Bhagavad Gita: Unlocking the Practical Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita with Krsnadaasa

Pragmatic Gita: Chapter 2: Art of Equanimity [2.14 to 2.18]

Aug 18, 2025

Dive into the art of equanimity as a powerful anchor amidst life's ups and downs. Discover how pleasure and pain are fleeting sensations shaped by our senses, and learn Krishna's practical wisdom on cultivating calm endurance. Using the metaphor of a mighty oak in a storm, navigate your inner struggles without attachment to outcomes. Explore the distinction between the eternal self and the temporary body, while gaining tools for resilience. Enjoy relatable examples, a calming meditation, and insights that illuminate the path to steadiness and liberation.

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INSIGHT

Suffering Comes From Clinging

Suffering arises from the mind clinging to transient sensory experiences, not from the experiences themselves.
Shri Krishna identifies contact of senses and objects as the root mechanism that creates fleeting pleasure and pain.

ADVICE

Practice Calm Endurance

Cultivate a calm, equipoised mind that endures both pleasure and pain with dignity and steadiness.
Anchor yourself in your true Self and choose conscious participation over reactionary avoidance.

ANECDOTE

Perception Changes With Mind Filters

Krishna Dasa recounts how his roller coaster tastes changed with time to show mind-filtered perception.
He uses push-ups and gym examples to show the mind reinterprets identical experiences differently.

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Life often feels like an unpredictable ocean, tossing us between the high waves of success and the deep troughs of failure. This endless cycle of pleasure and pain can leave us feeling drained and searching for solid ground. But what if you could find an unshakeable anchor right in the middle of that storm?

In this episode, we journey into the heart of the Bhagavad Gita to uncover a timeless secret: the art of equanimity. Guided by the profound words of Shri Krishna on the battlefield, which is a powerful metaphor for our own internal struggles. We explore a spiritual technology for mastering our mind and discovering a peace that cannot be disturbed.

We’ll explore one of the most practical lessons from the Gita, where Shri Krishna reveals a surprising truth: our suffering doesn’t come from the world itself, but from the fleeting feelings of happiness and distress created by our senses. He explains that these experiences all share three qualities: they appear, they disappear, and they are temporary. This episode unpacks why trying to cling to pleasure and run from pain is a futile chase that only creates more suffering, and we’ll discuss Krishna’s powerful solution: learning to gracefully endure them both.

This is a practical guide for a resilient life. We’ll talk about the crucial difference between the eternal Self and the temporary body, learning that our true nature is an indestructible anchor in a changing world. You will learn how to be like a mighty oak tree in a storm, swaying with the fierce winds of life while remaining deeply and immovably rooted. We’ll also touch on the "Eight Worldly Winds" described by Lord Buddha (praise and blame, success and failure, pleasure and pain), and see how a balanced mind is our ultimate shield.

In a world that constantly pulls for our attention, the ability to remain centered is not a luxury, but a necessity. Shri Krishna teaches that a person who remains steady through happiness and distress is the one who becomes truly free. This episode is your first step on a journey toward inner wisdom, helping you accept what you cannot change and find the courage to act with purpose.

⁠krsnadaasa⁠

(Servant of Krishna)

https://pragmaticgita.com