Blog inspired by ancient stories
Samatvam/Upekkha
Samatvam or Upekkha is a state of mind where one remains unperturbed by external circumstances, whether positive or negative. We learn to neither get overly attached to pleasant situations nor disappointed by unpleasant ones.
This is a quality in life I have always aspired to have. It brings with it a deep sense of happiness which can only be experienced, not explained. I would like to share this beautiful story that throws more light on this quality of equanimity-samatvam.
Once upon a time, there lived a poor farmer. He had a small farm and had only one horse to help him plough the field and carry the load. He was content with what he had, though he had only so much.
One day, his horse ran away. His neighbors rushed to his house to express their sympathy and said “What a terrible luck this was!”. He replied “Maybe”.
They were surprised at his answer and thought how could he be so calm in this situation. They concluded that he was in denial of his bad luck.
A few days later, the farmer’s horse returned and brought with it several wild horses. Now, the farmer had many horses to help him around the farm. This time again, the neighbors came rushing to congratulate him on his luck. Smiling calmly, he said “may be, it is good luck or maybe not”.
A few days later, the farmer’s son tried to tame one of the wild horses. He fell down and broke his leg. Again, the neighbors came to express their sympathy. “What bad luck that your son has broken his leg, now he can't help you!”. The farmer calmly replied once again - “maybe”. The villagers were baffled and surprised to see his nonchalant response.
Soon, a war broke out in the country and soldiers came to the village to draw out young men to fight the war. Many other villagers’ sons were taken to fight the war. The farmer's son was spared due to his injury. Once again, the neighbors came to say “how blessed you are that your son broke his leg!”. Farmer replied, “may be”.
What we need to learn from this story is ‘Nothing in life is permanent’.
The farmer’s wisdom and his consistent replies of “may be” for every situation shows his deep understanding that change is the only constant in life. The innate desire to categorize events as desirable or undesirable, favorable or unfavorable creates an emotional roller-coaster. We are often elated when things go well and devastated when things go wrong.
The farmer’s story shows that - we never have the complete picture. The concept of non-judgement does not mean indifference or apathy. The farmer was not detached from his life. He possessed equanimity - he cared about his horse, his son and his livelihood, but he did not allow his peace of mind to be at the mercy of his circumstances.
When we stop insisting that life confirms to our ideas of how things should be, we find a deeper freedom. Envy steals our peace of mind. How often we compare our circumstances to that of others, concluding that we are either blessed or cursed based on such comparisons. All the ancient Indian scriptures teach us to do our duties dispassionately.
If we try to practice this quality of samatvam /upekkha in our everyday situations, it will free us from the misery of our expectations and lead us to the path of happiness in our present reality.
Happy living
