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Bhagavad-gītā 13.29

समं पश्यन्हि सर्वत्र समवस्थितमीश्वरम् । न हिनस्त्यात्मनात्मानं ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥ २९ ॥
samaṁ paśyan hi sarvatra
[samam pashyan hi sarvatra]
samavasthitam īśvaram
[samavasthitam eeshvaram]
na hinasty ātmanātmānaṁ
[na hinasty aatmanaatmaanam]
tato yāti parāṁ gatim
[tato yaati paraam gatim]
Word-for-word
samam — equally paśyan — seeing hi — certainly sarvatra — everywhere samavasthitam — equally situated īśvaram — the Supersoul na — does not hinasti — degrade ātmanā — by the mind ātmānam — the soul tataḥ — then yāti — reaches parām — the transcendental gatim — destination .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
samaṁ paśyan hi sarvatra
samam
equally
paśyan
seeing
hi
certainly
sarvatra
everywhere
samavasthitam īśvaram
samavasthitam
equally situated
īśvaram
the Supersoul
na hinasty ātmanātmānaṁ
na
does not
hinasti
degrade
ātmanā
by the mind
ātmānam
the soul
tato yāti parāṁ gatim
tataḥ
then
yāti
reaches
parām
the transcendental
gatim
destination .
Important Words
  • samam — equally
    Repeated from verse 28. Sanskrit poetry's pattern of confirming the previous teaching by recurrence at the start of the next verse. The doctrine is now lived practice.
  • sarvatra — everywhere
    Adverb. Spatial universalization of the equality. Every place, every body, every situation — the same Lord.
  • samavasthitam — equally situated
    Sam- + ava- + sthita — "established equally." Not just present everywhere but *equally* established — same intensity, same intimacy. The Supersoul does not partial His presence.
  • hinasti — degrade
    From √hiṁs — "to harm." Same root as ahiṁsā. With *na* in front, the seer does not *harm* his own soul by his mind. Wrong vision is self-injury; right vision is self-protection.
  • ātmānam — the soul
    Paired with ātmanā ("by the mind"). The lower self (mind) can either lift or degrade the higher self (soul). The same word at two registers — the Gītā is fond of this device.
  • gatim — destination
    Qualified by *parām* — the supreme destination. The same phrase (parām gatim) that closes 8.13 and 8.21. The Gītā's standing term for the soul's final arrival.
One who sees the Supersoul equally present everywhere, in every living being, does not degrade himself by his mind. Thus he approaches the transcendental destination.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Seeing the Lord equally everywhere prevents one from degrading one's own self through self-imposed harm: the ātmanā ātmānaṁ na hinasti formula. The result is the supreme destination — a direct consequence of equal vision.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Ātmanā ātmānaṁ na hinasti is densely ambiguous and intentionally so: 'by mind one does not injure soul,' or 'by lower self one does not injure higher Self,' or 'by self one does not injure another self.' All three meanings work and the Sanskrit hosts them simultaneously. The chain is: equal vision → no self-injury → parām gatim. Cross-ref to BG 6.5–6 ('uddhared ātmanātmānam … ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhuḥ'). The Gītā's psychology of liberation is being made specific.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
हि सर्वत्र समवस्थितम् ईश्वरं समं पश्यन्, (साधकः) आत्मना आत्मानं न हिनस्ति; ततः परां गतिं याति ॥
hi sarvatra samavasthitam īśvaraṃ samaṃ paśyan, (sādhakaḥ) ātmanā ātmānaṃ na hinasti; tataḥ parāṃ gatiṃ yāti ||
For one who sees the Lord equally present everywhere does not, by his (lower) self, harm his (higher) Self; therefore he attains the supreme destination.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
समं पश्यन् हि सर्वत्र समवस्थितम् ईश्वरम् । न हिनस्ति आत्मना आत्मानं ततः याति परां गतिम् ॥
samaṃ paśyan hi sarvatra samavasthitam īśvaram | na hinasti ātmanā ātmānaṃ tataḥ yāti parāṃ gatim ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
समम् samam सम (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. equally
पश्यन् paśyan √दृश् pres. (present)part. nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. seeing
हि hi ind. (indeclinable), causal-emphatic for / indeed
सर्वत्र sarvatra ind. (indeclinable) everywhere
समवस्थितम् samavasthitam सम् + अव + √स्था p.p.p. (past passive participle) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. equally situated
ईश्वरम् īśvaram ईश्वर (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) the Lord
न na ind. (indeclinable), negation not
हिनस्ति hinasti √हिंस् pres. (present) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) injures
आत्मना ātmanā आत्मन् (m.) ins.sg. (instrumental singular) by the (lower) self
आत्मानम् ātmānam आत्मन् (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) the (higher) Self
ततः tataḥ ind. (indeclinable), ablative-correlative thence
याति yāti √या pres. (present) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) he goes / attains
पराम् parām परा (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)f. supreme
गतिम् gatim गति (f.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) destination
Purport

The living entity, by accepting his material existence, has become situated differently than in his spiritual existence. But if one understands that the Supreme is situated in His Paramātmā manifestation everywhere, that is, if one can see the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in every living thing, he does not degrade himself by a destructive mentality, and he therefore gradually advances to the spiritual world. The mind is generally addicted to sense gratifying processes; but when the mind turns to the Supersoul, one becomes advanced in spiritual understanding.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
28. He who sees Paramātmā situated everywhere equally does not degrade the soul by the deviating mind, and attains to the supreme goal.
Commentary

He who sees Me situated everywhere does not make the soul (ātmānam) fall down (hinasti) by the mind (ātmanā), which wanders on the wrong path.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
29. He who sees paramātmā situated everywhere equally does not degrade the soul by the deviating mind, and attains the excellent path.
Commentary

Seeing the Lord distinct from jīva and prakṛti by the above mentioned method, that person attains power to discriminate himself from the transformations of prakṛti, by the power of seeing that Lord. He who sees the Lord situated distinctly (samyak avasithitam) with permanent qualities and form, such that He treats all living entities equally (samam), does not cause degradation of himself (ātmanam) by a mind which distinguishes the transformations of prakṛti and is lusty for the taste of sense objects (ātmanā). He attains the excellent path (parām gatim), knowledge of discriminating the self from the transformations of prakṛti, by disgust with the taste for prakṛti.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Translation
One who sees the Supersoul equally present everywhere, in every living being, does not degrade himself by his mind. Thus he approaches the transcendental destination. (cn/DS) One who has knowledge sees things as they are. He sees the body, sees the soul and sees the Supersoul.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Thus seeing in proper knowledge, one does not degrade himself by pursuing selfish desires of the

mind; but one approaches the transcendental destination

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
13.29 Hi, since; pasyan, by seeing, by realizing; samam, eally; isvaram, God, i.e., (by realizing Him) as described in the immediately preceding verse; who is samavasthitam, present alike; sarvatra, everywhere, in all beings;-what follows from seeing eally?-he na, does not; hinasti, injure; his own atmanam, Self; atmana, by the Self, by his own Self; tatah, therefore, as a result of that non-injuring; yati, he attains; the param, supreme; gatim, Goal, called Liberation. Objection: Is it not that no creature whatsoever injures himself by himself? Why do you refer to an irrelevant thing by saying, 'He does not injure৷৷.,which is like saying, 'Fire should neither be lit on the earth nor in the sky,' etc.? Reply: This defect does not arise, because it is logical with reference to an unenlightened person's ignoring the Self. For, all unillumined people ignore the very wellknown Self which is manifest and directly perceptible, and regard the non-Self as the Self. By performing righteous and unrighteous acts they destroy even that self which has been accepted, and adopt another new self. And destroying even that, they take up another. Similarly, destroying even that, they adopt another. In this way they destroy the self that had been accepted successively. Thus, all unillumined persons are destroyers of the Self. But that which is the Self in reality, even that remains as though destroyed for ever by ignorance, because of the absence of any benefit from Its presence. So, all unenlightened persons are, verily, destroyers of the Self. On the contrary, the other person who has realized the Self as described does not injure in either way [i.e. either through superimposition or through non-super-imposition.] the Self by his own Self. Therefore he attains the supreme Goal, i.e., the result stated above comes to him. Lest it be doubted that what was said in, 'seeing eally God who is present in all beings, he does not injure the Self by the Self, is improper with regard to the selves which are diverse according to the differences created by the variety in their own alities and actions, the Lord says:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
13.29 'The ruler' (the self) abides in the bodies of divinities and the rest as their supporter, controller and as their Sesin (principal). He who sees the self free from dissimilar shapes of divinities etc., and as being of the same form of knowledge, he does not injure himself by 'himself', namely, by his mind. Therefore, as a result of seeing the sameness of the nature of the self in every place as a knower, he attains the 'highest goal.' What is to be reached is called 'goal'. He attains the supreme, namely, the self in its pure form. On the contrary, if he should view the self as dissimilar in every place, i.e., identifies It with the bodies, then he 'injure the self, namely, hurls It into the middle of the ocean of Samsara.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
13.29 Samam etc. A man of Yoga, who's thought is on what is eal in one and all, does not harm the Self i.e, does not fell the Self down in the ocean of the cycle [of birth and death], difficult to cross over.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
13.29 Because he who sees the same Lord eally dwelling everywhere does not destroy the Self by the self; he goes to the highest goal.
Commentary

13.29 समम् eally? पश्यन् seeing? हि indeed? सर्वत्र everywhere? समवस्थितम् eally dwelling? ईश्वरम् the Lord? न not? हिनस्ति destroys? आत्मना by the self? आत्मानम् the Self? ततः then? याति goes? पराम् the highest? गतिम् the goal.Commentary This is the vision of a liberated sage. The Supreme Self abides in all forms. There is nothing apart from It.An ignorant man destroyes the Self by identifying himself with the body and the modifications of the mind and by not seeing the one Self in all beings. He has a blurred vision. His mind is very gross. He cannot think of the subtle Self. He is swayed by the force of ignorance. He mistakes the impure body for the pure Self. He has false knowledge. But the sage has knowledge of the Self or true knowledge and so he beholds the one Self in all beings. An ignorant man is the slayer of his Self. He destroys this body and takes another body and so on. But he who beholds the one Self in all beings does not destroy the Self by the self. Therefore he attains the Supreme Goal? i.e.? he attains release from the round of birth and death. Knowledge of the Self leads to liberation or salvation. Knowledge of the Absolute annihilates the ignorance in toto. If the ignorance is destroyed and false knowledge is also destroyed? all evils are simultaneously destroyed.Those who have realised that unity of the Self in all these diverse forms are never caught in the meshes of birth and death. They attain the state of Turiya (the fourth state beyond waking? dreaming and deep sleep) where form and sound do not exist.The self is everybodys friend and also his enemy as well. The idea first expressed in chapter VI? verses 5 and 6 is repeated here. (Cf.XVIII.20)

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
13.29 Since by seeing eally God who is present alike everywhere he does not injure the Self by the Self, therefore he attains the supreme Goal.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
13.29 Beholding the Lord in all things equally, his actions do not mar his spiritual life but lead him to the height of Bliss.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 5.18 BG 6.32 BG 18.54 SB 11.29.13-15 SB 4.22.27 SB 3.29.16 CC Madhya 22.78 CC Antya 4.176 CC Madhya 8.59 Īśa Upaniṣad 7 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.11
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Seeing the same Lord equally present everywhere, he does not degrade himself by his mind — he attains the supreme destination.
Practical Applications
  • Trust that equal-vision protects from self-degradation.
  • Use the seeing as armor against discriminating-mind injuries.
  • Cultivate the destination orientation.
Reflection Questions
  • Where has discriminating mind degraded me?
  • What does equal vision shield?
Analogy

A judge who treats every plaintiff alike cannot be bribed against himself; his evenness protects him as much as it protects the court. So the seer who sees the same Lord in every being cannot use his own mind to hurt himself — the equal vision is its own shield. He arrives at the destination intact.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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