Acceptance — Lesson 4

Verse

Transliteration

yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga ucyate

Meaning

Established in balance, perform action, giving up attachment. Remain the same in success and failure. This balance is called yoga.

Key Words

• yoga-sthaḥ — established in steadiness
• saṅgaṁ tyaktvā — giving up attachment
• siddhi-asiddhi — success and failure
• samatvam — balance

Teaching

Krishna defines yoga in a simple way. It is not only meditation. It is balance in action. When we act, results will vary. If the mind depends on results, it becomes unstable. If the mind remains balanced, action becomes free. This balance is inner strength. In karma yoga, this is also the spirit of prasāda buddhi: success and failure are received with steadiness, not because they are the same externally, but because the mind does not collapse or inflate with either one.

Connection to Acceptance

Acceptance creates this balance. It allows us to act fully, and then receive the outcome as prasāda — a result coming through the order of life. In that spirit, success does not make me arrogant, and failure does not break me. This is the practical meaning of yoga.

Reflection

Do I feel different when I succeed versus when I fail? What would it mean to stay steady in both situations?