Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 5: Renunciation in Action

Bhagavad Gita 5.19

ihaiva tairjitaḥ sargo yeṣāṃ sāmye sthitaṃ manaḥ | nirdoṣaṃ hi samaṃ brahma tasmādbrahmaṇi te sthitāḥ ||

Even here in this life, the cycle of birth is conquered by those whose minds rest in evenness. Brahman is flawless and the same in all, and so they rest in Brahman.

Modern context

Freedom is placed 'here itself', in this life. It is not put off until after death. Those whose minds rest in evenness have already won. The reasoning is brief: the ultimate reality is even and without flaw, so a mind that has become even is resting in it. Evenness here does not mean dullness. It means not being tilted by preference and not counting some people or some outcomes as mattering more to one's peace than others.