A declaration · calming in mood · a little context helps
“Equal vision makes you unshaken by pleasure or pain.”
O Arjuna, the yogi who sees all beings as equal through the measure of the true self, and sees pleasure and pain alike, is considered the highest yogi.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyby comparison with the self · everywhere · equally · sees · who · Arjuna · pleasure · or · if · or · pain · that · yogi · highest · is considered
A true meditator sees every being with equal regard and does not get thrown off by pleasure or pain.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Dhyana Yoga" (The Yoga of Meditation).
Verse 32 sits in Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita — Dhyana Yoga, "The Yoga of Meditation". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
At a cousin's wedding you are praised for the arrangements, and by evening an aunt complains about the food. Krishna's yogi would weigh both the same, and would feel the tired cook's strain as his own.
Did you like this verse?
Krishna's highest yogi measures every being by his own self and meets pleasure and pain with one mind.
What this verse means
A true meditator sees every being with equal regard and does not get thrown off by pleasure or pain.
Context & commentary
Krishna teaches the discipline of meditation while Arjuna stands frozen. After showing that the divine is present in all beings, Krishna now gives the inner test: the highest yogi sees every being and every feeling with the same steady mind.
What it looks like today
At a cousin's wedding you are praised for the arrangements, and by evening an aunt complains about the food. Krishna's yogi would weigh both the same, and would feel the tired cook's strain as his own.
“Treat others' joy and pain as you would your own, and stay level through both.”
Explore related themes: dhyana (31 verses), equanimity (23 verses), samatva (13 verses)