Chapter II · Śloka 15
यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ |
समदुःखसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते ||
समदुःखसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते ||
yaṃ hi na vyathayanty ete puruṣaṃ puruṣarṣabha |
sama-duḥkha-sukhaṃ dhīraṃ so 'mṛtatvāya kalpate ||
sama-duḥkha-sukhaṃ dhīraṃ so 'mṛtatvāya kalpate ||
The person whom these do not afflict, O best of men — who is steady in pain and pleasure alike — that wise one is fit for immortality.
The aim is not to eliminate sensation but to achieve equanimity in relation to it. Sama-duḥkha-sukha — equal in pain and pleasure — does not mean numbness but a stable centre that neither pleasure nor pain can dislodge.