Bhagavad Gita 6.7
जितात्मनः प्रशान्तस्य परमात्मा समाहितः | शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु तथा मानापमानयोः ||
jitātmanaḥ praśāntasya paramātmā samāhitaḥ | śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣu tathā mānāpamānayoḥ ||
Translation
Over the self-subdued and tranquil man, the supreme self extends its sway in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, honour and dishonour.
Reflection
Of the three pairs Krishna names, which one still reaches all the way in when it arrives?
Read this verse in its chapter: Chapter Six
The pairs are listed slowly on purpose. Cold and heat are easy to grant. Pleasure and pain are harder. Honour and dishonour are the hardest, because the praise that comes from outside and the slight that comes from outside both reach all the way in. The verse says the man who has steadied the self stays steady across all three pairs. He does not enjoy the praise more than he enjoys the cool air. He does not bleed from the slight more than he bleeds from a stubbed toe. The pair has stopped owning him. What sits above the pairs is what the verse calls the supreme self.