Shloka 32
अक्षरब्रह्मयोगः | Akṣara-Brahma-Yoga
The Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman
सम्बन्ध--इस प्रकार भ्क्तियोगद्वाय भगवान्कों प्राप्त हुए पुरुषके महत्त्वका प्रतिपादन करके अब सांख्ययोगद्वारा परमात्माको प्राप्त हुए पुरुषके समदर्शनका और गहत्त्वका प्रतिपादन करते हैं-- आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योअर्जुन । सुखं वा यदि वा दुःखं स योगी परमो मत:,हे अर्जुन! जो योगी अपनी भाँति सम्पूर्ण भूतोंमें सम देखता हैः और सुख अथवा दुःखको भी सबमें सम देखता है, वह योगी परम श्रेष्ठ माना गया है
ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṁ paśyati yo 'rjuna | sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ sa yogī paramo mataḥ ||
Arjuna said: “The highest yogin is regarded as the one who, by taking oneself as the measure, sees all beings with equal regard everywhere—recognizing that pleasure and pain are alike in their claim upon every life. Such a person’s ethical vision is impartial, compassionate, and steady.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches samadarśana (equal vision): the best yogin is one who uses oneself as a reference point to empathize with all beings, recognizing that pleasure and pain matter equally to everyone, and therefore responds with impartiality and compassion.
In the Gītā’s dialogue on the battlefield, Arjuna articulates a criterion for spiritual excellence: the yogin’s maturity is shown not by withdrawal alone but by an ethical perception that treats others’ joy and suffering as comparable to one’s own.