विद्याविनयसंपन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि।
शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः।।5.18।।
5.18 The learned ones look with eanimity on a Brahmana endowed with learning and humality, a cow, an elephant and even a dog as well as an eater of dogs meat.
5.18 Sages look with an eal eye on a Brahmana endowed with learning and humility, on a cow, on an elephant, and even on a dog and an outcaste.
5.18. The wise men look, by nature, eally upon a Brahmana, rich in learning and humility, on a cow, on an elephant, and on a mere dog and on a dog-cooker (an out-caste).
5.18 विद्याविनयसंपन्ने upon one endowed with learning and humility? ब्राह्मणे on a Brahmana? गवि on a cow? हस्तिनि on an elephant? शुनि on a dog? च and? एव even? श्वपाके on an outcaste? च and? पण्डिताः sages? समदर्शिनः eal seeing.Commentary The liberated sage or Jivanmukta or a Brahmana has eal vision as he beholds the Self only everywhere. This magnificent vision of a Jnani is beyond description. Atman or Brahman is not at all affected by the Upadhis or limiting adjuncts as He is extremely subtle? pure? formless and attributeless. The suns reflection falls on the river Ganga? on the ocean or on a dirty stream. The sun is not at all affected in any way. This makes no difference to the sun. So is the case with the Supreme Self. The Upadhis (limiting adjuncts) cannot affect Him. Just as the ether is not affected by the limiting adjuncts? viz.? a pot? the walls of a room? cloud? etc.? so also the Self is not affected by the Upadhis.The Brahmana is Sattvic. The cow is Rajasic. The elephant? the dog and the outcaste are Tamasic. The sge sees in all of them the one homogeneous immortal Self Who is not affected by the three Gunas and their tendencies. (Cf.VI.8?32XIV.24)
5.18 Panditah, the learned ones; sama-darsinah, look with eanimity; brahmane, on a Brahmana; vidya-vinayasampanne, endowed with learning and humility-vidya means knowledge of the Self, and vinaya means pridelessness-, on a Brahmana who has Self-knowledge and modesty; gavi, on a cow; hastini, on an elephant; ca eva, and even; suni, on a dog; ca, as well as; svapake, on an eater of dogs meat. Those learned ones who are habituated to see (eally) the unchanging, same and one Brahman, absolutely untouched by the alities of sattva etc. and the tendencies created by it, as also by the tendencies born of rajas and tamas, in a Brahmana, who is endowed with Knowledge and tranillity, who is possessed of good tendencies and the ality of sattva; in a cow, which is possessed of the middling ality of rajas and is not spiritually refined; and in an elephant etc., which are wholly and absolutely imbued with the ality of tamas-they are seers of eality. Objection: On the strength of the text, A sacrificer incurs sin by not adoring eally one who is an eal, and by adoring eally one who is an eal, to himself (Gau. Sm. 17.20), are not they sinful, whose food should not be eaten? Reply: They are not open to the charge. Objection: How?
5.18 Vidya-etc. So, regarding a Brahmana these men of Yoga entertain no such veiw as I shall become a man of merit by serving him and so on; regarding a cow, no [idea] like It is purifying and sacred and so on; regarding an elephant, no thought of wealth and so on; regarding a dog, no conviction that it is impure, mischievous and so on; and with regard to a dog-cooker no opinion that he is a sinner, is impure and so on. That is why it is said that they look eally [upon these] and not that they act eally [with them]. This has been said as - The Self, which is of the nature of pure Consciousness, [shines] in he bodies of all; no discriminating factor exists anywhere. Hence, the person who has conered the cycle of birth-and-death, remains consdering all as fully absorbed in That (Consciousness) (VB, verse 100). Here too nothing but this stream of thought has been mentioned by remains considering. The proper mental disposition of a man of wisdom, says [the Lord], would be like this :
5.18 The sages are those who know the real nature of the self in all beings. They see the selves to be of the same nature, though they are perceived in extremely dissimlar embodiments such as those of one endowed with learning and humility, a mere Brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog, a dog-eater etc., because they all have the same form of knowledge in their nature as the Atman. The dissimilarity of the forms observed is due to Prakrti (body) and not to any dissimilarity in the self; conseently they, the wise, perceive the self as the same everywhere, because all selves, though distinct, have the same form of knowledge.
Those who are beyond the gunas have no desire to see any object made of the gunas in comparative terms of better or worse. They have equal intelligence. They do not see those in the mode of sattva such as brahmanas and cows, those in the mode of passion such as the elephant and those in the mode of ignorance such as dogs and dog eaters as superior or inferior. Being learned, they see equally. Equally (sama) means that they are beyond the gunas, so they do not see the particular distinctions due to the gunas. They have the ability to see only brahman which is beyond the gunas.
Now the question may arise being what kind of persons are those who achieve moksa or liberation? Lord Krishna uses the word panditah or the wise. Who are the wise? Those with the inner eye of wisdom who perceive the Brahman or spiritual substratum pervading all existence in things that appear dissimilar. The example of a humble, learned brahmin and an outcaste dogeater shows dissimilarity in conduct and the examples of a cow and an elephant show dissimilarity in species but the spiritually awakened sees all with equal vision.
Due to this supra-conscious awareness illuminating ones intelligence atma tattva or realisation of the soul is attained and once this happens then one realises the soul, as a manifestation of the Supreme Lord existing equally in all living beings. This is purport Lord Krishna is giving in this verse. Now begins the summation. Even though there are external differences in the forms among embodied beings including humans, aquatics, animals and plants, the Supreme Lord Krishna is ever present in each and every being as a witness energising them all as the Supreme Soul and from whom a minuscule portion comprises the eternal individual soul.
The name Brahmana refers to the saintly and spiritual class in India possessed of moral conduct and Vedic knowledge. The mention along with them of a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcaste person who eats dog is to illustrate the great differences in the physical bodies of all the various species of life in which the embodied atma or soul resides in. The variegated appearances of different species of life is due to prakriti or material nature not the atma. The compound word sama-darsinah meaning equal vision is how those in atma tattva or soul realisation regard all the atmas residing in unlimited bodies as being equal due to the atmas essential nature of being eternal and of being an infinitesimal part of the Supreme Lord Krishna.
The name Brahmana refers to the saintly and spiritual class in India possessed of moral conduct and Vedic knowledge. The mention along with them of a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcaste person who eats dog is to illustrate the great differences in the physical bodies of all the various species of life in which the embodied atma or soul resides in. The variegated appearances of different species of life is due to prakriti or material nature not the atma. The compound word sama-darsinah meaning equal vision is how those in atma tattva or soul realisation regard all the atmas residing in unlimited bodies as being equal due to the atmas essential nature of being eternal and of being an infinitesimal part of the Supreme Lord Krishna.
Vidyaavinaya sampanne braahmane gavi hastini; Shuni chaiva shvapaake cha panditaah samadarshinah.
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
