Gita 05.19 – Sameness of perception is the situation of liberation
ihaiva tair jitaḥ sargo
yeṣāṁ sāmye sthitaṁ manaḥ
nirdoṣaṁ hi samaṁ brahma
tasmād brahmaṇi te sthitāḥ (BG 05.19)
Word-to-word
iha — in this life; eva — certainly; taiḥ — by them; jitaḥ — conquered; sargaḥ — birth and death; yeṣām — whose; sāmye — in equanimity; sthitam — situated; manaḥ — mind; nirdoṣam — flawless; hi — certainly; samam — in equanimity; brahma — like the Supreme; tasmāt — therefore; brahmaṇi — in the Supreme; te — they; sthitāḥ — are situated.
Translation
Those whose minds are established in sameness and equanimity have already conquered the conditions of birth and death. They are flawless like Brahman, and thus they are already situated in Brahman.
Explanation
In this verse, Krishna describes the state of liberation from material existence and the inner transformation of those who have attained true knowledge.
From verse 5.16 onwards, Krishna has been speaking of this advanced stage. There, He compared knowledge to the rising sun:
jñānena tu tad ajñānaṁ yeṣāṁ nāśitam ātmanaḥ
teṣām āditya-vaj jñānaṁ prakāśayati tat param
— “When the sun of knowledge rises, it dispels the darkness of ignorance.”
Thus, just as the sun removes external darkness, divine knowledge removes internal ignorance.
In verse 5.17, Krishna explained how this knowledge can be acquired — by investing one’s mind, intelligence, faith, and heart in the Absolute Truth. Such devotion purifies the seeker:
jñāna-nirdhūta-kalmaṣāḥ — “Cleansed of all impurities by knowledge.”
Now, in verse 5.18–19, Krishna expands on this purified vision, saying that such a person becomes flawless — nirdoṣaḥ — like Brahman.
But what does this flawlessness mean? For the soul, which is spiritual by nature, to be entangled in material desires and to see through the dualistic lens of pleasure and pain, success and failure — that is a flaw. When the soul transcends these dualities and sees beyond material distinctions, that is the state of nirdosha, or flawlessness.
It’s important to note that Krishna is not saying that the liberated soul becomes all-pervading or identical with the Supreme Brahman. Rather, He describes the soul as established in Brahman consciousness — in harmony with the Absolute.
Krishna says, ihaiva tair jitaḥ sargo — “Even in this very world, they have conquered material existence.” Who are such souls? yeṣāṁ sāmye sthitaṁ manaḥ — those whose minds are situated in sameness (sāmya).
Now, is there a difference between oneness and sameness? Yes, there is.
– Oneness implies that there is no difference at all — that only one undifferentiated reality exists everywhere.
– Sameness, however, means perceiving with equal vision — seeing beyond external distinctions while still recognizing individual existence.
In sāmya, consciousness perceives with equality — seeing the same spiritual essence pervading all living beings, even while acknowledging their diversity.
Thus, Krishna explains that those who have attained this vision of equality — whose minds rest in sameness — have already transcended material existence, even while living in this world.
That means that even for the perception of sameness, there must first exist two-ness — there must be a perceiver and something perceived.
For example, if I say, “This laptop and that laptop are the same,” it implies that there are two laptops being compared, and that there is an observer—myself—who is recognizing their similarity. Thus, for sameness to be perceived, there must be both the seer and the seen. The perceiver must exist separately from the perceived in order to discern sameness. Therefore, perception itself presupposes duality.
Here, Krishna says that the mind is situated in sameness (sāmye sthitaṁ manaḥ). This means that the mind no longer perceives material dualities or varieties; it transcends them. This idea continues from verse 5.18, where Krishna described the paṇḍitaḥ sama-darśinaḥ — the wise person who sees all living beings equally. It is not said that he sees them as one and the same being, but rather that he sees them equally. So again, the term sāmya (sameness) is used, not ekatva (oneness).
To a large extent, our impurities — the inner disturbances that keep us bound to material existence — arise because our mind is not established in sameness. When the mind dwells in duality, it oscillates between attraction and aversion, pleasure and pain, success and failure. These fluctuations pull us deeper into material bondage.
Krishna does not say that such souls become Brahman. He says they are situated in Brahman — samam brahma, tasmād brahmaṇi te sthitāḥ. This means they are established on the Brahman platform, not merged into it.
At this spiritual level, one is no longer swayed by material dualities. In the material vision, one thing seems attractive and another repulsive; one situation seems joyful and another distressing. But from the spiritual perspective, the realized soul understands that nothing material can offer true satisfaction.
Externally, things may appear different, but in essence, all that is material is temporary and incapable of fulfilling the soul. Therefore, the spiritually situated person no longer becomes captivated or disturbed by the fleeting appearances of material attraction and aversion.
Therefore, those who can truly perceive sameness are established on the spiritual platform. This state of consciousness is the aspiration of sincere seekers, the goal of those striving for liberation, and the attainment of the liberated souls.
This perception of sameness leads to ihaiva tair jitaḥ sargaḥ — “even here, they have conquered material existence.” In other words, such a person achieves liberation while still in this body, known as jīvan-mukti.
There are generally two kinds of liberation:
1. Videha-mukti — liberation attained after the soul leaves the body, becoming free from material existence.
2. Jīvan-mukti — liberation attained while still living in the body. In this state, although the soul continues to inhabit a material form, it is no longer bound by material desires. The soul merely awaits the natural end of the body’s karma, at which point it fully transcends material existence.
The Bhāgavatam also describes five kinds of liberation, referring to the different spiritual destinations or states the soul may attain after being freed from matter. However, in this context, Krishna is emphasizing the timing of liberation — when it actually occurs, not where the soul goes afterward.
When Krishna speaks of one who perceives equality and oneness, He refers to a person who has transcended material desires. It is these desires that keep the soul entangled in material bondage. When desire ceases, bondage ends. And when bondage ends, the soul naturally attains videha-mukti — complete liberation from material existence.
Thus, the perception of sameness — seeing nothing as particularly attractive or repulsive, and remaining undisturbed by the dualities of matter — is itself the platform of liberation within this very body.
This is the exalted state that true seekers aspire for and that the enlightened have realized — becoming seers of sameness everywhere.
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