Shloka 18
सम: शत्रौ च मित्रे च तथा मानापमानयो: । शीतोष्णसुखदु:खेषु सम: सड़रविवर्जित:ः,जो शत्रु-मित्रमें* और मान-अपमानमें सम है तथा सरदी-गरमी और सुख-दु:खादि द्वन्द्ोंमें सम है" और आसक्तिसे रहित है
samaḥ śatrau ca mitre ca tathā mānāpamānayoḥ | śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣu samaḥ saṅga-vivarjitaḥ ||
He is even-minded toward enemy and friend alike, and remains the same in honor and dishonor. In cold and heat, in pleasure and pain, he stands steady—free from attachment. This describes the ethical poise of one whose inner discipline is not shaken by the opposites that drive ordinary reactions.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches samatva (equanimity): a disciplined person remains steady toward friend and enemy, praise and insult, and the bodily opposites like cold/heat and pleasure/pain, because they are free from saṅga (attachment) that fuels reactive emotion.
In the Bhīṣma Parva setting on the eve of battle, Arjuna is engaged in a dialogue about right conduct and inner steadiness. This line characterizes the ideal temperament required for dharmic action amid conflict: acting without being destabilized by personal likes, dislikes, or changing circumstances.