समोऽहं सर्वभूतेषु न मे द्वेष्योऽस्ति न प्रियः | ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम् ||२९||
samo'haṃ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo'sti na priyaḥ | ye bhajanti tu māṃ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpy aham || 29 ||
I am the same toward all beings — none hateful nor dear to Me — but My devotees are in Me, and I am in them.
Word by word (3)
- samaḥ ahaṃ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyaḥ asti na priyaḥ
- — I am the same toward all beings — there is none hateful to Me, nor dear to Me · samaḥ = the same, equal (sama = equal, same, balanced — from √sam = to be equal; samaḥ ahaṃ = 'I am the same'). ahaṃ = I. sarva-bhūteṣu = toward all beings (sarva = all; bhūta = being; bhūteṣu = locative plural 'in/toward all beings'). na = not. me = of Me, to Me (genitive). dveṣyaḥ = one who is hated, one who is hateful (√dviṣ = to hate; dveṣya = hateable, an object of hatred; na me dveṣyaḥ asti = 'there is no one hateful to Me'). asti = is (third person singular — 'there is'). na priyaḥ = nor dear (priya = dear, beloved — from √prī = to love; na priyaḥ = 'nor dear' — no one is specially beloved either). V29's first half: samaḥ ahaṃ sarva-bhūteṣu — 'I am the same toward all beings.' This is sama-bhāva (equal regard) at the cosmic divine level: the divine has no favorites and no enemies. na me dveṣyaḥ = no being is hateful to Me; na priyaḥ = no being is specially dear/preferred. The divine's sama-bhāva is not indifference but the equal love of the sun: the sun shines equally on all — this is not because it doesn't care but because its nature is complete, non-discriminating love.
- ye bhajanti tu māṃ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu ca api aham
- — But those who worship Me with devotion — they are in Me, and I am in them also · ye = those who (relative). bhajanti = they worship, they share devotion (√bhaj = to share, to serve devotedly; bhajanti = 'they serve with devotion, they worship'). tu = but (contrast particle — contrasting the equal sama-bhāva of the first half with this specific relationship). māṃ = Me (objective). bhaktyā = with devotion (instrumental — 'with bhakti'). mayi = in Me (locative — 'they are in Me'). te = they (nominative). teṣu = in them (locative — 'and I am in them'). ca = and. api = also. aham = I. V29's second half: ye bhajanti tu māṃ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpy aham — 'those who worship Me with devotion, they are in Me and I am in them also.' The bhaktyā qualification and the mutual indwelling (te mayi = they in Me; aham teṣu = I in them) constitute the bhakti-relationship that exists WITHIN the sama-bhāva: the divine is sama (equal) to ALL, but those with bhakti enter a mutual-indwelling relationship that is unique to the bhakti orientation. This is not contradiction — the equal sun still specially nurtures the flower that turns toward it, even though it shines equally on all. The bhakta who turns toward the divine with bhakti enters the mayi-teṣu mutual dwelling that others (who don't turn with bhakti) do not experience.
- samaḥ ahaṃ — sama-bhāva and the mutual dwelling of bhakti: V29's paradoxical teaching
- — V29 holds the apparent paradox: the divine is perfectly equal (sama) to all, AND devotees are in the divine as the divine is in them — both are true simultaneously · V29's apparent paradox: How can the divine be samaḥ (equal, same, without favorites) AND at the same time have a special mutual-dwelling with devotees (mayi te teṣu cāpy aham)? Resolution: the sama-bhāva is from the divine's side — the divine's nature is equal, like the sun. But the mutual dwelling is activated by the devotee's bhaktyā — it is the devotee's turning-toward (bhajanti bhaktyā) that creates the unique relationship, not any divine favoritism. The sun shines equally (sama) on all flowers. But the flower that opens toward the sun absorbs more light — not because the sun chose to give it more but because the flower's orientation made the relationship more complete. V29's mayi te (they in Me) + teṣu cāpy aham (I also in them) = the Gita's most intimate statement of the mutual indwelling of the divine and the bhakta. This mutual indwelling is the content of liberation: not the bhakta going to the divine (mām upaiṣyasi, V28) as to a separate place, but the recognition that the bhakta and the divine already mutually dwell in each other. V29's mayi te teṣu aham is Ch.9's equivalent of Ch.11's 'I am in you and you in Me' — but here at the devotional level.
V29 holds Ch.9's great paradox in one verse: samaḥ ahaṃ sarva-bhūteṣu (I am the same toward all beings) — na dveṣyaḥ asti na priyaḥ (none is hateful, none is specially dear). AND: ye bhajanti tu māṃ bhaktyā (those who worship Me with devotion) — mayi te teṣu cāpy aham (they are in Me and I am in them). Both are simultaneously true: the divine is perfectly equal to all AND enters a unique mutual-dwelling with bhaktas. Not contradiction — the equal sun specially nurtures the flower that opens toward it.
A modern analogy
The internet is available equally to everyone (sama = equal access). But someone who actively engages — writes, creates, connects (bhajanti bhaktyā = worshipping with devotion) — enters a deeply reciprocal relationship with the internet's possibilities: they are 'in' the network (mayi te) and the network is 'in' them (teṣu aham). Others who don't engage have equal potential access but don't experience the mutual-being that active engagement creates. V29's sama-bhāva = equal availability; bhaktyā → mutual-dwelling = the activated relationship.
What it does NOT mean
V29's sama-bhāva (equal regard) does not mean the divine is indifferent to all beings or that bhakti makes no difference. The sama-bhāva is the divine's nature (not favoring some, not rejecting others). The special mutual dwelling of the bhakta (mayi te teṣu aham) is not divine favoritism but the natural consequence of the bhakta's orientation: bhaktyā (with devotion) = turning toward the divine = activating the mutual-dwelling. Both the equal ground (sama) and the specific relationship (bhaktyā → mutual dwelling) are simultaneously true.
Take with you
- V29's sama-bhāva as the foundation for non-prejudice: if the divine is the same toward all beings (none hateful, none specially dear), then seeing all beings through the divine's sama lens is the highest spiritual vision (V6.32: sarva-bhūteṣu sam-bhāva). V29 invites: try to see this day's encounters — the beloved, the irritating, the neutral — through V29's sama lens: 'The divine is the same toward all of these. Can I, even briefly, hold this sama quality?'
- V29's mayi te teṣu aham as the deepest statement of bhakti: the devotee is already IN the divine (mayi te) — not going there, not working toward it, but already dwelling within the divine's being. AND the divine is already IN the devotee (teṣu aham). V29's mutual dwelling is not a future achievement but a present reality for the bhakta who worships with genuine bhaktyā. The practice: recognize this mutual dwelling as already present, not as something to attain.
- V29-V30 together as Ch.9's closing teaching on grace: V29 establishes the divine's equal availability (sama) and the bhakta's mutual-dwelling; V30 extends this to the most extreme case (the worst sinner). Together they teach: the divine's reach is both perfectly equal (V29a) and perfectly personal (V29b), and this reach extends even to the worst sinner who turns with sincere devotion (V30).
V9.29 contains one of the Gita's most philosophically rich paradoxes: the divine is simultaneously samaḥ (equal/same toward all) AND enters a special mutual-dwelling with those who worship with bhaktyā. This is not contradiction but complementarity at two different levels of description. Level 1 (Cosmic perspective): samaḥ ahaṃ sarva-bhūteṣu — the divine's fundamental nature is sama-bhāva. From the cosmic perspective (V4-V5's immanent-transcendent divine; V16-V19's I-am-all teaching), the divine IS the ground of all beings equally. No being is outside the divine; no being is specially inside. This is V6.29's vision (sarva-bhūtāni ātmany atho ātmānaṃ sarva-bhūteṣu īkṣate) applied to the divine's own self-description. Level 2 (Relational perspective): ye bhajanti tu māṃ bhaktyā — for those who direct their bhaktyā toward the divine, the mutual-dwelling (mayi te teṣu cāpy aham) becomes the lived experience. The sama-bhāva is always present (Level 1) but the mutual-dwelling is activated by the devotee's bhaktyā (Level 2). The devotee does not CREATE a new state; they RECOGNIZE and enter the mutual-dwelling that was always available. The tu (but) in ye bhajanti tu māṃ bhaktyā is the verse's pivot: not 'therefore' (which would suggest the special relationship compensates for something) but 'but' (which introduces the specific within the general). The general is sama-bhāva; the specific is bhakti-mutual-dwelling within that sama-bhāva. V29's mayi te teṣu cāpy aham (they in Me and I in them) is Ch.9's equivalent of Jn 14:20 (I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you) — the mystical mutual indwelling that is the core of devotional mysticism across traditions.
Advaita lens
Shankaracharya: samaḥ ahaṃ sarva-bhūteṣu = Brahman is the same ātman in all beings — this is the Upaniṣadic teaching of ekatva (oneness): all ātmans are the one Brahman. Na dveṣyaḥ na priyaḥ = from the paramārthika (absolute) perspective, there is no other to hate or love — only Brahman recognizing Brahman. The bhaktyā mutual-dwelling: from the vyāvahārika (relative) level, the devotee who recognizes ātman = Brahman enters the mutual-recognition of Brahman knowing Brahman. Mayi te teṣu cāpy aham = Brahman in the devotee (ātman = Brahman), devotee in Brahman (the individual ātman is never separate from Brahman).
Bhakti lens
For bhakti traditions, V29's mayi te teṣu aham is the highest statement of the divine-devotee relationship: the devotee dwells in the divine AND the divine dwells in the devotee. This mutual indwelling is the fulfillment of bhakti — not a future state but the recognition of the already-present reality activated by genuine bhaktyā. Rāmānuja's viśiṣṭādvaita: the devotee is a mode (viśeṣa) of the divine (Brahman); mutual dwelling is Brahman dwelling in all its modes while all modes dwell within Brahman.
Karma-Yoga lens
V29 for karma yoga: the karma yogi who acts with mad-arpaṇam (V27) and achieves sannyāsa-yoga-yuktātmā (V28) naturally enters V29's mutual dwelling. The 'I am in them' of V29b = the karma yogi discovering that the divine is the true doer acting through them. The 'they in Me' of V29a = the karma yogi resting in the divine as their ground of action. V29's mutual dwelling IS the lived experience of V3.27's 'all acts are performed by the gunas of prakriti; the one deluded by ego thinks I am the doer.'
Modern parallels
V29's sama-bhāva parallels Carl Rogers' 'unconditional positive regard' — the therapeutic principle that genuine care is extended equally to all without conditions or favoritism. V29's mutual-dwelling parallels Martin Buber's 'I-Thou' relationship: the genuine encounter (bhaktyā = with love/devotion) transforms the relationship from I-It (instrumental) to I-Thou (mutual recognition) — 'I am in them (I-Thou) and they in Me (I-Thou reversed).'
Practice
V29 sama-bhāva and mutual-dwelling meditation: sit in meditation. For 5 minutes: hold V29's sama: 'The divine is the same toward all beings — including me, right now, as I am.' Feel this equal regard as a warmth without conditions, without my being required to be different first. For 5 minutes: turn with bhaktyā: any form of genuine devotion — love, gratitude, wonder, reverence. Feel this turning. For 5 minutes: rest in mayi te teṣu aham — 'I am in the divine; the divine is in me.' Let this be direct recognition, not visualization. Feel the mutual dwelling as the present reality rather than a future state.
Public-domain translations (3) compare all →
The same am I to all beings; there is none hateful nor dear to Me; but those who worship Me with devotion are in Me, and I also am in them. [4]
I am the same to all beings; there is none who is hated by me, and none is my favourite; but those who worship me with affection are in me, and I also am in them. [6]
Equal / I am to all, and yet / Who worships me with loving heart, / They are in me, and I in them. [7]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Equal vision everywhere: the yogi sees the Self in all beings, and all beings within the Self — the same, everywhere.
Even if the most sinful worships Me with undivided devotion — he must be deemed righteous, for he has rightly resolved.
The paṇḍita sees equally in a learned Brahmin, cow, elephant, dog, and outcaste — sama-darśana.
Bow down, arrows scattered, warrior collapsed — this is where the Gita begins.
Those whose sin has ended — virtuous in deed, freed from dvandva-delusion — worship Me with firm resolve.
Do My work, hold Me supreme, be My devotee, attachment-free, without enmity toward all — such a one comes to Me!