Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9, Verse 29

Chapter 9 – Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

समोऽहं सर्वभूतेषु न मे द्वेष्योऽस्ति न प्रियः ।
ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम् ॥

Transliteration

samo.ahaṃ sarvabhūteṣu na me dveṣyo.asti na priyaḥ .
ye bhajanti tu māṃ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpyaham ॥

Meaning

I am the same towards all beings; none is hateful to Me and none is favoured. But those who worship Me with devotion are in Me, and I am in them.

Word meanings

समः – equal, the same
अहम् – I
सर्वभूतेषु – towards all beings
न – not
मे – to Me
द्वेष्यः – hateful
अस्ति – is
न – nor
प्रियः – favoured, dear
ये – who
भजन्ति – worship
तु – but
माम् – Me
भक्त्या – with devotion
मयि – in Me
ते – they
तेषु – in them
च – and
अपि – also
अहम् – I

Anvaya (word order)

अहं सर्वभूतेषु समः (अस्मि); मे द्वेष्यः न अस्ति, प्रियः न (अस्ति); ये तु मां भक्त्या भजन्ति, ते मयि (सन्ति), अहम् अपि च तेषु (अस्मि) ।

Explanation

In the preceding verses Krishna spoke of His special grace towards devotees: He carries their welfare and lovingly accepts even their smallest offering. This raises a question: is God partial? Does He love devotees and dislike others? Here He answers clearly: ‘I am the same to all beings.’

‘None is hateful to Me, none is a favourite.’ The Lord’s grace is like sunlight, falling equally on all. But one who sits with the shutters closed receives no light in the room, and that is not the sun’s fault. Shankara offers the image of fire: fire gives warmth equally, but only those who draw near receive it. Fire is not partial; those who stay away simply remain cold.

‘But those who worship Me with devotion are in Me, and I am in them.’ This is not favouritism but the natural law of love. When the devotee opens the heart, the Lord becomes manifest within it. Ramanuja explains that the devotee cannot live without the Lord and so dwells in Him; and the Lord in turn, treating such a devotee as His equal, lovingly dwells in the devotee.

The loveliest phrase is mayi te teshu chapy aham, mutual indwelling: the devotee in God and God in the devotee, as two who love each other live in each other’s hearts. The Lord forces this relationship on no one, but He keeps it open to everyone who comes with love.

Context

Verses 27 and 28 described offering all actions and its fruit. Here the Lord reveals His impartiality and His special relationship with devotees. In the next verse He declares that even a person of very bad conduct, if he worships with undivided devotion, should be regarded as a saint.

Life lesson

God’s grace rains equally on all; to receive it we need only open the door of the heart. If we do not feel His nearness, the fault lies not in His grace but in our distance. Move towards Him with love.

Key terms

Sama: equal, impartial
Dveshya: one who is hated
Bhakti: loving devotion and surrender
Mutual indwelling: the devotee in God and God in the devotee