Path of Renunciation
Verse 5.18
विद्याविनयसंपन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि। शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः।।5.18।।
vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini śhuni chaiva śhva-pāke cha paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśhinaḥ
Word Meanings
vidyā—divine knowledge; vinaya—humbleness; sampanne—equipped with; brāhmaṇe—a Brahmin; gavi—a cow; hastini—an elephant; śhuni—a dog; cha—and; eva—certainly; śhva-pāke—a dog-eater; cha—and; paṇḍitāḥ—the learned; sama-darśhinaḥ—see with equal vision
Translation · English
Sages look with an equal eye on a Brahmana endowed with learning and humility, on a cow, an elephant, a dog, and even an outcaste.
Deep Meaning · English
This verse is a cornerstone of Advaitic wisdom, defining the 'Pandita' not as one who merely possesses intellectual information, but as one who has realized the underlying substratum of all existence. Krishna urges Arjuna to transcend the conditioned mental habits of categorization—purity versus impurity, high status versus low status, or human versus animal. By placing a learned Brahmin alongside an elephant, a cow, a dog, and an outcast, the Lord demonstrates that the Divine Atman is not altered by the specific form, guna (mode of nature), or social standing it inhabits. The 'equal vision' (sama-darshana) mentioned here is not a denial of worldly distinctions or functions, but a profound shift in perspective where the practitioner ceases to identify the self with the perishable body and recognizes the eternal, unchanging light within every living being. This is the ultimate stage of non-dual realization, where the observer stops interacting with shadows and starts recognizing the substance. It is the dissolution of the 'I' that judges into the 'I' that witnesses. As Krishna guides Arjuna toward the battlefield, this teaching serves as a crucial armor: it allows the warrior to act in the world without the poisoning influence of attachment or aversion, seeing the same Lord in friend, foe, and the creatures of the earth alike.
True wisdom is the ability to perceive the unchangeable, divine essence that animates all beings, irrespective of the diverse forms and social conditions those beings occupy.
Connected Verses
This verse defines the Sattvic knowledge that perceives the single, undivided Reality underlying the apparent diversity of the world.
This verse reinforces the same vision, stating that one who sees the Supreme Lord dwelling equally in all things attains the highest state.
This verse directly expands on 5.18, describing the yogi who sees the Self in all beings and all beings in the Self.
This verse highlights the fruit of such equal vision, noting that the sages who have transcended dualities work for the welfare of all beings.
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