Sanskrit
आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योऽर्जुन । सुखं वा यदि वा दुःखं स योगी परमो मतः ॥
ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṃ paśyati yo'rjuna sukhaṃ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṃ sa yogī paramo mataḥ
Translation
He who, through the likeness of the Self, O Arjuna, seeth equality in everything, whether pleasant or painful, he is considered a perfect Yogi.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The chapter’s summary definition of the “highest” yogi, closing the arc that began with verse 9’s impartiality toward all people — now grounded explicitly in seeing others by analogy to one’s own self, the same move later ethical texts formalize as the golden-rule basis of compassion. Arjuna’s objection in the very next verse is aimed directly at this ideal.
Concepts