Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 13, Verse 27
समं सर्वेषु भूतेषु तिष्ठन्तं परमेश्वरम्।विनश्यत्स्वविनश्यन्तं यः पश्यति स पश्यति।।
samaṁ sarveṣu bhūteṣu tiṣṭhantaṁ parameśvaram
vinaśyatsv avinaśyantaṁ yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati
also searched as "samam sarveshu bhuteshu tishthantam parameshvaram"
Translation
Who sees the supreme ruler dwelling alike in all bodies and never perishing, even when they perish, he indeed sees.
Vāṇi's rendering
In every being, equally, stands the highest lord — undying among the dying. Who sees this, truly sees.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| समम्samam | equally, the same |
| सर्वेषुsarveṣu | in all |
| भूतेषubhūteṣu | in beings, in creatures |
| तिष्ठन्तम्tiṣṭhantam | standing, abiding, dwelling |
| परमेश्वरम्parameśvaram | the highest lord |
| विनश्यत्सुvinaśyatsu | among the perishing (sandhi: vinaśyatsv before the following a-) |
| अविनश्यन्तम्avinaśyantam | not perishing, undying |
| यःyaḥ | who |
| पश्यतिpaśyati | sees |
| सःsaḥ | he, that one (sandhi: sa before p-) |
| पश्यतिpaśyati | sees, truly sees |
Frequently asked
Why does Krishna say "sees" twice in this verse?
The repetition marks a difference in kind, not emphasis. Ordinary looking registers surfaces and sorts them by preference. The second paśyati names a seeing that finds the same undying presence in every being, without ranking. Only that second kind is called seeing at all.
Does seeing everyone equally mean treating everyone identically?
No. Krishna is describing what you perceive, not flattening what you do. A father and a stranger still call for different acts. But the one who sees this way no longer treats anyone as disposable, because the same lord stands in each of them.
How can the lord be undying if bodies clearly die?
Bodies belong to the field — they gather, hold together, and come apart. What stands in them is not made of parts and does not come apart with them. The dying is real; it simply does not reach what is dwelling there.
What is the practical use of this verse in daily life?
It changes the moment before judgment. When someone irritates or frightens you, the mind rushes to file them below you. This verse asks you to pause there and notice what is standing in them, equally. The pause itself is the practice.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna repeats the verb. Who sees, sees — as if the first seeing were something else entirely, a counterfeit. What most eyes do is sort: this one matters, that one less, this one is mine. Real seeing does not sort. It finds the same undying presence standing in the man who insulted you and in the child you would die for, equally, without preference. Not equal worth as an opinion you hold. Equal presence, as a fact you notice. Arjuna is about to fight men in whom that presence stands. The test is not the battlefield. It is the next face you look at without ranking it.