Samatva Yoga The Fundamental Teaching Of Jainism And Gita

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided text from "Samatva Yoga: The Fundamental Teaching of Jainism and Gitā" by Sagarmal Jain, focusing on the concept of samatva:

The text argues that in our current age, characterized by rapid scientific advancement yet marked by anxiety and mental tension, the fundamental teaching that can bring peace and integration is samatva. This concept, preached by Lord Mahavira and Lord Krsna over two thousand years ago, is presented as the core ethical principle of both Jainism and the Bhagavad Gita.

What is Samatva?

• Core Meaning: Samatva is a difficult word to translate precisely into English. While terms like equality, equilibrium, harmony, integration, and rightness capture aspects of it, none fully convey its depth. It is best understood as a state of mental equanimity or calm disposition.
• In General: Samatva signifies a balanced mind, undisturbed by pleasures and pains, achievements and disappointments. It describes a personality free from aversion and attachment, possessing mental equilibrium. It also encompasses a feeling of equality with fellow beings and can loosely imply social equality and integration. Ethically, it is associated with "rightness." Crucially, samatva is always linked to a mental or psychological state that influences individual and social adjustment.

Samatva in Jainism:

• Nature and End of the Soul: Jain scriptures, like the Vyākhyāprajaptisūtra, state that the very nature and ultimate end of the soul is samatva.
• Acārya Kundakunda's View: Acārya Kundakunda, in his work Samayasāra, used "samaya" (likely a Prakrit form of a Sanskrit word related to samatva) to refer to the soul. He equated samaya with svabhāva (essential nature). Someone possessing samatva as their essential nature is a samayasāra.
• Path to Liberation: In Jain ethics, the path to achieving the ultimate end is also samatva, known in Prakrit as sämäiya or samāhi.
• Three Pillars of Jain Ethics: The text asserts that the three fundamental elements of Jain ethics – the moral agent, the ultimate end, and the path – are all equated with samatva. This implies that the means and the end are not external but are inherent qualities of the moral agent's own nature.
• Siddha vs. Sadhaka: The difference between a liberated soul (siddha) and a seeker (sadhaka) is quantitative, representing the transformation of potentiality (capability) into actuality through the practice of samatva.
• The Threefold Path: The Jain threefold path (right knowledge, right belief, and right conduct) is entirely dependent on samatva for its validity. It's an application of samatva to knowing, feeling, and willing.

Samatva in the Bhagavad Gita:

• Core Ethical Foundation: The Gita's ethics are also fundamentally based on samatva. The terms "sama" and "samatva" appear frequently.
• God and Brahman: The Gita equates sama with Brahman, the ultimate reality. While commentators differ on whether sama is Brahman itself or a quality of Brahman, this distinction doesn't alter the concept's importance.
• The Divine Presence: The Gita suggests that God, of whom we are parts, resides in the heart of every individual as a quality of samatva.
• The Path to Realization: Samatva-yoga is presented as the means to realize this ultimate reality.
• Reconciling Yoga Paths: The author proposes that samatva-yoga is the unifying concept that reconciles the different interpretations of the Gita's core teaching (knowledge-yoga, action-yoga, devotion-yoga).
  • Categorical Definition: The statement "Samatvam yoga ucyate" (Samatva is called yoga) is presented as a categorical definition, unlike "yogaḥ Karmasu Kauśalam" (Yoga is skill in action), which is conditional.
  • Superiority of the Yogi: The Gita states a yogi is superior to those focused solely on knowledge, action, or austerity, suggesting the practice of samatva-yoga as the supreme form.
  • Value Giver: Samatva is what imbues knowledge, action, and devotion with their true value. Without samatva, these are mere external practices, not transformative paths.
  • Means and End: Unlike knowledge, action, and devotion, which are means to an end, samatva is both a means and an end in itself.

Organic and Psychological Basis of Samatva Yoga:

• Biological Equilibrium (Homeostasis): Living organisms inherently strive to maintain physiological equilibrium and adjust to their environment. Failure in this leads to death. This fundamental drive for balance is compared to samatva.
• Psychological Peace: Humans naturally seek mental peace, relaxation, and satisfaction, avoiding tension and anxiety. The psychological processes of adjustment are aimed at restoring harmony and integration, mirroring the concept of samatva. Even Freud acknowledged the ego's role in maintaining equilibrium between conflicting personality aspects.
• Directive Principle of Living: The text refutes the Darwinian "struggle for existence" as the primary directive principle, arguing it's:
  • Self-contradictory: Living by "killing" is not a true inner nature.
  • Opposed to Human Nature: Struggle is often born of necessity, not innate inclination, and therefore cannot be a guiding principle.
  • Against Reason and Natural Law: The principle of mutual respect and non-harm, inherent in the concept of equality, contradicts the idea of "living on others."
• Living With and For Others: Lord Mahavira's teaching of "live with others" or "live for others" is presented as a more ethical and rational directive principle than "live on others," aligning with the inherent potential equality of all beings.

In essence, the book posits that samatva is the unifying philosophical and ethical cornerstone of both Jainism and the Bhagavad Gita, representing a state of mental equilibrium and equanimity that is not only the natural tendency of living beings but also the path to spiritual realization and harmonious existence.