Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 9, Verse 29
समोऽहं सर्वभूतेषु न मे द्वेष्योऽस्ति न प्रियः।
ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम्।।
ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम्।।
samo ’haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo ’sti na priyaḥ
ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpyaham
also searched as "Samoham sarvabhuteshu na me dveshyosti na priyah"
Translation
I am the same to all creation; there is none hateful or dear to me. But those who worship me with devotion abide in me, and I in them.
Vāṇi's rendering
Equal to all, I hate none and favour none. But who loves me is in me, I in them.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| समःsamaḥ | the same, equal |
| अहम्aham | I am (sandhi: samo 'ham) |
| सर्वभूतेषुsarva-bhūteṣu | toward all beings, in every creature |
| नna | not |
| मेme | to me, for me |
| द्वेष्यःdveṣyaḥ | hateful, an object of dislike |
| अस्तिasti | there is (sandhi: dveṣyo 'sti) |
| नna | nor |
| प्रियःpriyaḥ | dear, a favourite |
| येye | those who |
| भजन्तिbhajanti | love, serve, turn toward |
| तुtu | but, however |
| माम्mām | me |
| भक्त्याbhaktyā | with devotion |
| मयिmayi | in me |
| तेte | they |
| तेषुteṣu | in them |
| चca | and (sandhi: cāpyaham) |
| अपिapi | also |
| अहम्aham | I |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 Verse 29 mean?
It means Krishna favours no one and rejects no one — he is equally present in every being. Yet those who love him find him in them, and themselves in him. The nearness is real, but it is not partiality. Devotion does not change Krishna; it changes what you are able to receive of him.
What does 'Samoham sarvabhuteshu na me dveshyosti na priyah' mean?
Equal am I to all beings; none is hateful to me, none dear. Krishna is declaring that his presence is not rationed by merit or birth or record. He is already in the enemy, the stranger, the one you cannot forgive. Nothing you have done has moved him further away.
If Krishna is equal to everyone, why does devotion matter at all?
Because equality is about him, and reception is about you. Sunlight falls on every surface, but only the clear one shows it back. Bhakti is not a way of earning attention. It is the wiping clean, so that what was always here can finally register as here.
Does this verse mean God has no favourites even among devotees?
Krishna says plainly that no one is dear and no one is hateful. What the devoted gain is not preference but intimacy — mayi te, teṣu ca api aham. He does not lean toward them. They have simply stopped standing where they could not feel him.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
Fire does not choose whom to warm. Krishna says he holds no grudge and plays no favourites — the sun falls on the just and the unjust, and so does he. Then comes the turn: but who loves me is in me. Nothing changed on Krishna's side. What changed is the mirror. A clean surface catches the light already everywhere; a dirty one does not. So the love you bring does not buy affection you were denied — it makes you able to hold what was always offered. You are not asking Krishna to come closer. You are wiping the glass.