In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna commends the spiritually realized who see everyone equally (05.18). Krishna is talking about the equality of all living beings as souls; still, what is the relevance of such a vision for Arjuna? How can he have equal vision on a battlefield? Unless he sees those on the two sides differently, even unequally, how can he be motivated enough to fight for one of the two sides? Unless he sees that those on his side are virtuous and those on the opposite side are vicious, how can he be convinced that his cause is worth fighting for, even dying or killing for? And for Arjuna, such a vision would be grounded in reality: Yudhishthira is virtuous and Duryodhana is vicious. 

Intriguingly, Krishna himself later seems to adopt an unequal vision when he refers to those on the opposite side as enemies — he assures Arjuna that his enemies have already been killed by divine arrangement; Arjuna just needs to become an instrument (11.33). 

In this exhortation to duty may be found the relevance of Krishna’s call for equal vision. As a kshatriya (martial guardian of society), Arjuna had a professional duty to protect society from aggressors, but he had become hesitant on contemplating that the aggressors on the Kurukshetra battlefield were his relatives. Arjuna could overcome that hesitation by contemplating: if the aggressors had not been his relatives, would he have hesitated to fight against them? Certainly not. Then, remembering that aggressors related to him and aggressors unrelated to him were both equal, being souls, Arjuna should not let personal attachment bias his vision and deviate him from duty. 

One-sentence summary: 

Having equal vision toward everyone doesn’t mean denying the self-evident differences between people; it means not letting those differences affect us so much emotionally that we can’t do our duty responsibly. 

Think it over: 

  • Why is a literal understanding of equal vision problematic for Arjuna on a battlefield?
  • How is equal vision understood properly helpful for Arjuna?
  • How can equal vision help you to become more responsible?

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05.18: The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].

What does equal vision mean for Arjuna on the battlefield

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