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Chapter 2
Dharma (Duty) is used in two senses:-
- Charity viz., kindness, in giving help (money, food, clothes etc.,) to the poor, and suffering people
- Discharging one's duty, according to the ordinance of scriptures. By performing one's duty, without desiring its fruit, one develops equanimity automatically, because it is axiomatic. Therefore, here, equanimity has been called Dharma' (duty).
Something Noteworthy about Equanimity
Some people opine constant remembrance of God is not useful unless there is concentration of mind. But the gospel of the Gita, does not attach much importance to this opinion, it attaches more importance to equanimity. According to the Gita, a striver who has attained equanimity, is an exalted soul. Even when, a man is imbued with all qualities, if he does not gain equanimity, according to the Gita, he cannot be called, a perfect soul.
This equanimity, is of two kinds—of the mind and of the self. The Lord, pervades everywhere equally. One who gets oneself established, in Him, gains victory over the world, and is liberated.
But this equanimity of self, can be known by equanimity of the mind (Gita 5/19). Equanimity of the mind, consists in remaining even-minded, in success and failure (Gita 2/48). Such a person, remains even-minded in praise and reproach, success and failure, profit and loss, pleasure and pain etc., (Gita 5/20). This sort of equanimity, never perishes and it results in nothing, but salvation.
Whatever, virtuous actions, such as penance, charity and pilgrimage etc., are performed by a man, these perish after giving fruit, but equanimity, does not perish and it leads man to salvation or God-realization (Gita 5/3), while concentration of mind, may lead him to accomplishments (siddhis) but not to salvation.
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