This talk continues our Bhagavad-gita Wisdom Series with the topic: “Beyond Happiness & Distress – A Guide to Emotional Well-Being.”

We explore two fundamental perspectives:

• The materialistic view, which identifies the self with the body and mind.

• The spiritual perspective, which sees the self as an eternal spiritual being temporarily residing in a body and struggling with the mind.

According to yogic teachings, emotions arise from mental processes and are not intrinsic to the soul. These teachings emphasize the importance of tolerating desires and emotions rather than being controlled by them. This state of inner steadiness is likened to an ocean—remaining calm despite the many rivers that flow into it.

The ancient wisdom of yoga introduces the concept of becoming an Atmarama—one who is self-satisfied—finding lasting spiritual happiness within rather than seeking temporary fulfillment in external sources.

Meditation is a key practice for self-realization, accessible to everyone. The transformative power of meditating on transcendental sound can be compared to the sunrise dispelling fog, bringing clarity and insight. As yoga wisdom deepens, it reshapes one's perspective on life and relationships, leading to genuine peace and fulfillment.

The verses which I quote from the Bhagavad-gītā:

Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all. Bhagavad-gītā 2.29

O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed. - Bhagavad-gītā 2.14

O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation. - Bhagavad-gītā 2.15

That happiness which is derived from contact of the senses with their objects and which appears like nectar at first but poison at the end is said to be of the nature of passion. - Bhagavad-gītā 18.38

That which in the beginning may be just like poison but at the end is just like nectar and which awakens one to self-realization is said to be happiness in the mode of goodness. - Bhagavad-gītā 18.37

A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires—that enter like rivers into the ocean which is ever being filled but is always still—can alone achieve peace, and not the person who strives to satisfy such desires. - Bhagavad-gītā 2.70

Be steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna. Perform your duty and abandon all attachment to success or failure. Such evenness of mind is called yoga. - Bhagavad-gītā 2.48

These are some additional verses which you might benefit from:

One who is not envious but who is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied and engaged in (loving)devotional service with determination and whose mind and intelligence are in agreement with Me-he is very dear to Me. - Bhagavad-gītā 12.13-14

One who is free from illusion, false prestige, and false association, who understands the eternal, who is done with material lust and is freed from the duality of happiness and distress, and who knows how to surrender unto the Supreme Person, attains to that eternal kingdom. - Bhagavad-gītā 15.5

One who is not disturbed in spite of the threefold miseries, who is not elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind. - Bhagavad-gītā 2.56

For one who has conquered the mind, the Super Soul is already reached, for they have attained tranquillity. To such a man happiness and distress, heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same. - Bhagavad-gītā 6.7