Bhagwad Gita - Post 147

Quality#5

Sama Dukha Sukha

Balanced in pleasure and pain

Whether pleasure comes or pain comes, a true devotee  accepts both with equanimity. 

Devotees have faith that only efforts are in their hands, while the results are in the hands of God.  So whatever results come their way, they see them as the will of God, and accept them with equanimity.

Pleasure and pain are things which are related to the body / mind, which is conveyed or observed by the mind through the senses.

Some readers from Muscat  may also go back to brief talk on Kaye Na Vaacha verse where it was explained that not only the  fruits of the actions that we undertake are to be surrendered to God but the body, Mind, Indriya (senses), Svabhava (our tendencies / nature), our Anthakarana (Manas Buddhi Chitta [without ahankara]) - all are surrendered then and there to the supreme God. When all the possible  medium / faculty from where thoughts. words, actions emanate are surrendered to God, then who can be there at all to differentiate between good and bad results of the actions??

Swami says, “True joy comes from equanimity. Do not be carried away by or attach any importance to worldly things. Use your time and effort to control the vagaries of the mind and develop mental steadiness. Equal mindedness; means that you remain unaffected by victory or defeat, by profit or loss, by joy or sorrow. 

Accept whatever happens, whatever comes your way, as the gift of God, to be enjoyed with great satisfaction, regarding it as a gift of love given to you for your own good. When your heart is not swayed by worldly things, when you treat all people and all things with equal mindedness, then you will experience true joy. Then your heart will be filled with feelings of love and satisfaction, and you will know the true joy of devotion.”

(Source - Sai Baba Gita, Collection of Divine discourses on B Gita)

When the individual ego (Ahankara) itself has been transcended, then who is there to take in these pleasure and pain and who is there to be affected by either of them?

Quality#6

Kshamee

Forgiving

Devotees never think of punishing wrongdoers for their emotional satisfaction.  Harboring such negative thoughts toward others ruins one’s own devotion.  So accomplished devotees refuse to harbor unforgiving thoughts in all circumstances and leave the task of punishing wrongdoers upon God.

Does our Lord of lords not teach us - “Love lives by giving and forgiving”?

In fact, a true devotee crosses even the stage of forgiving because, in his intoxication with the Love of God, he is in fact unable to find anything wrong, anyone doing wrong in this creation. In this state, who is a sinner and who is there to forgive the sinner??

Quality#7

Santushta Satatam

Ever content

Always in a contented state, they are never greedy, and never ask for anything.  Always contented, they are yogis whose self is united with God.

Contentment comes not from increasing our possessions, but by decreasing our wants.  Devotees no longer look upon material objects as the source of pleasure, and thus are content with whatever they get. 

If we go further subtler, what can be that which disturbs our contentment? 

It is our sense of incompleteness that makes us search for happiness outside us. A true devotee, ever in constant and incessant remembrance of God, is able to find his God within his heart. If his Lord is there inside his heart (as LOVE), then can he ever be not contended? 

Will he have anything to look outside to get him any happiness which can be more than the happiness / joy of having discovered the presence of Lord within??

Love.