Gita 6.7

Sadhak: "Guruji, this verse speaks of the Supreme Self being steady within one who has conquered the self. But I find myself constantly disturbed by circumstances—too hot, too cold, praised one moment, criticized the next. How can the Supreme Self ever be steady in someone as reactive as me?"

Guru: "Tell me, when the lake is disturbed by wind, does the sun reflected in it disappear?"

Sadhak: "No, the reflection becomes distorted, fragmented, but the sun above remains the same."

Guru: "Exactly. The Paramātmā within you is never disturbed. It is your awareness of it that becomes fragmented when the mind is agitated. 'Samāhitaḥ' means the reflection becomes steady—not that the sun changes."

Sadhak: "But practically, how does one stop reacting? When someone insults me, anger arises automatically. When the weather is harsh, discomfort is immediate. These seem involuntary."

Guru: "Notice your language: 'anger arises,' 'discomfort is immediate.' Who is noticing that anger arose? Who knows there is discomfort?"

Sadhak: "I suppose... I am noticing. There's a part of me watching the reaction."

Guru: "That witness is the doorway to the jitātmā. You cannot stop sensations or initial reactions—they are body and mind doing their nature. But you can shift identification from the reactor to the witness. This shift is the conquest."

Sadhak: "So conquering the self doesn't mean having no reactions, but not being imprisoned by them?"

Guru: "Precisely. The mind will still register cold. The ego will still flinch at insult. But you—the real you—observe all this like watching clouds pass across an unchanging sky."

Sadhak: "The verse mentions three pairs: physical sensation, emotional experience, and social recognition. Are these different levels of challenge?"

Guru: "They are progressively subtler. Physical sensations are obvious and pass quickly—cold ends when you warm up. Emotional pleasure and pain linger longer in memory and anticipation. But māna-apamāna, honor and dishonor—this touches the ego's core identity. Many can bear physical hardship who crumble at criticism. Krishna mentions all three because complete freedom requires steadiness at every level."

Sadhak: "I notice I can sometimes be steady with discomfort but become completely unstable when my reputation is threatened. Does this mean I haven't conquered anything?"

Guru: "It means you have conquered some territory but not all. Self-conquest is not all-or-nothing. Celebrate where you are steady. Observe where you still react. Bring the same witnessing presence to criticism that you've learned to bring to cold or heat. Gradually, the steady awareness expands."

Sadhak: "And when this conquest is complete, the Supreme Self just... appears?"

Guru: "It doesn't appear—it becomes apparent. It was always there, samāhitaḥ, steady at your core. You were simply looking elsewhere, captivated by the drama of reactions. When the drama loses its grip, you notice what was always present. The Paramātmā wasn't hiding. You were distracted."