Gita 06.32 – The topmost yogi sees everyone with benevolence, not indifference
ātmaupamyena sarvatra
samaṁ paśyati yo ’rjuna
sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ
sa yogī paramo mataḥ (Bg 6.32)
Word-for-word:
ātma — with his self; aupamyena — by comparison; sarvatra — everywhere; samam — equally; paśyati — sees; yaḥ — he who; arjuna — O Arjuna; sukham — happiness; vā — or; yadi — if; vā — or; duḥkham — distress; saḥ — such; yogī — a transcendentalist; paramaḥ — perfect; mataḥ — is considered.
Translation:
He is a perfect yogī who, by comparison to his own self, sees the true equality of all beings, in both their happiness and their distress, O Arjuna!
Explanation:
Kṛṣṇa describes the trajectory of the yogī seeker from 6.11 up to the present verse 6.32, concluding with the summit—sa yogī paramo mataḥ—the yogī who is regarded as the highest. What defines such an exalted yogī? Kṛṣṇa presents a strikingly inclusive vision of yoga, one that is not world-rejecting but rather world-affirming in a profound and meaningful way.
The path of yoga, particularly aṣṭāṅga-yoga, is generally viewed as world-rejecting, since the yogī withdraws from worldly life. As stated in 6.11—śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya sthiram āsanam ātmanaḥ—one should go to a clean, sacred secluded place, establish a firm seat, remain detached from all living beings, and turn inward. This is the traditional path of yoga.
However, Kṛṣṇa explains that when one reaches the summit, the topmost yogī does not perceive other living beings with indifference, detachment, or callousness. What, then, is such a yogī’s vision?
ātmaupamyena: By comparing others with oneself,
sarvatra samam paśyati yaḥ arjuna: one who sees all living beings equally, O Arjuna,
sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkham: in both their happiness and distress.
sa yogī paramaḥ mataḥ: Such a yogī is considered supreme.
How does one see all living beings equally in their happiness and distress? Moreover, it is not merely about seeing everyone equally, but about doing so by comparison with oneself (ātmaupamyena). This means the yogī recognizes that whatever brings happiness to him will also bring happiness to others, and whatever causes him misery will likewise cause misery to others.
Such a vision arises from a consciousness that is no longer materially conditioned. The yogī’s perception is pure, untainted by selfishness, prejudice, or contamination. As previously described, the yogī is akalmaṣam—free from all impurities.
The nature of such a yogī, who is free from all contamination, is that he is firmly situated in spiritual truth. His vision is grounded in the realization of spiritual reality, and therefore he perceives the world from that elevated standpoint.
In contrast, consider a drunkard who believes that drinking alcohol brings happiness and not drinking brings misery. From this perception, he concludes that anyone who doesn’t drink must be unhappy, and those who do must be happy. This is a tāmasic perception—a view shaped by the mode of ignorance. Such extrapolation of one’s limited, conditioned experience onto everyone else is not an expression of compassion but rather an expansion of illusion.
Another example is a person who falls sick and takes a painkiller, believing that all the pain has gone and that he is now healthy. He might then assume that everyone should take painkillers to numb the pain. But this does not work. Painkillers do not provide a lasting cure; in fact, they do not truly cure at all and only offer temporary relief. Similarly, alcohol merely masks pain—it offers no real solution or lasting remedy.
But a patient who has genuinely been cured and restored to good health understands that the diseased condition was a state of misery, while the healthy condition is a state of joy. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that this personal realization of beneficial transformation becomes the impetus for a devotee’s compassionate outreach to others.
A devotee desires to share Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa consciousness because he has personally benefited from it and recognizes that others can also be helped. This is genuine compassion. Just as one who has recovered from an illness naturally wants to tell a friend suffering from the same disease, “Why continue to suffer? Please take this medicine and be cured,” similarly, a devotee wishes to guide others toward the joy of spiritual life.
Just as we have been cured, others can also be healed by the same medicine. That is why we share it and speak of its benefits. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa explains that the topmost yogīs perceive the suffering of all living beings as arising from their materialistic way of life—their disconnection from Kṛṣṇa. The yogī reflects: this was my condition when I was disconnected from Kṛṣṇa; I suffered then, but now, being connected with Kṛṣṇa, I experience profound happiness. In the same way, if others also connect with Kṛṣṇa, they too will experience true joy. Therefore, the yogī strives to guide everyone toward Kṛṣṇa, sharing knowledge and helping all establish that divine connection.
Thus arises a mood of genuine compassion, where one perceives all living beings not with indifference, but with heartfelt concern. This concern is not born of material attachment—“this is my friend, my relative, I do not want this person to suffer.” When rooted in material attachment, however, compassion carries a separatist mindset, a divisive perspective rather than a universal one.
For example, one may think, “If I am an Indian, only Indians should prosper,” or even a broad-minded humanist may conclude that only humans should prosper, justifying harm to animals for human benefit. A truly universal vision, one that embraces all living beings, cannot be deeply internalized without spiritual realization because a material level of consciousness inherently fosters a sense of separation between “me” and “them.”
In contrast, the term used here is sarvatra samam paśyati—one who sees all living beings equally. Such a person naturally desires to free everyone from misery and guide all toward the path of happiness. This is the hallmark of the highest yogī—not merely one who renounces the world for personal self-realization, but one who seeks to share the fruits of that realization with others. The yogī does not simply reject the material world to attain the spiritual; he also strives to extend the benefits of spiritual realization to those still engaged in material life.
This means that even those still at the material level of consciousness are included in the yogī’s compassion; he wishes to share the fruits of spiritual realization with all and thereby benefit everyone. Such a vision of concern and universal compassion, directed toward all living beings without any discrimination, is what Kṛṣṇa identifies as the defining characteristic of the topmost yogī.
The topmost yogī is not someone who sits in motionless samādhi for days, months, or years. He is not defined by the ability to perform miracles or attain siddhis (supernatural powers). Rather, the topmost yogī is one who embodies universal compassion. The devotees of the Lord, who tirelessly share Kṛṣṇa’s message, exemplify this very quality of boundless concern and care for all living beings.
Śrīla Prabhupāda exemplified this compassion, traveling across the world to share Kṛṣṇa’s message wherever he went, with the desire to benefit all. In this way, devotees embody the qualities of the topmost yogīs. Although in this verse Kṛṣṇa does not explicitly mention devotees, He is describing the defining quality of universal compassion. Later, in 6.47, Kṛṣṇa clarifies that the topmost yogīs are indeed His devotees, and in 12.13 He explains that the highest devotees are the benefactors of all living beings—adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca—compassionate well-wishers of everyone.
In conclusion, this verse (6.32) follows two successive verses that describe how one who sees Kṛṣṇa everywhere is never lost, and how one who perceives the oneness between Kṛṣṇa and the Supersoul remains properly situated in yoga at all times. After these verses, Kṛṣṇa declares that the topmost yogī is one who possesses a vision of universal compassion.
Continuing the thread of thought, Kṛṣṇa first speaks of one who sees Him everywhere. Yet, after realizing His presence, such a yogī does not remain absorbed solely in personal devotion; rather, he seeks to share the fruits of that devotion with the entire world. It is this mood of compassion—the desire to assist Kṛṣṇa in His mission of delivering all souls—that endears the yogī to Kṛṣṇa. Hence, Kṛṣṇa proclaims, sa yogī paramaḥ mataḥ—this yogī is the topmost.
Thank you.
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