Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Bg 18.20

sarva-bhūteṣu yenaikaṁ
bhāvam avyayam īkṣate
avibhaktaṁ vibhakteṣu
taj jñānaṁ viddhi sāttvikam

Synonyms: 

sarva–bhūteṣu — in all living entities; yena — by which; ekam — one; bhāvam — situation; avyayam — imperishable; īkṣate — one sees; avibhaktam — undivided; vibhakteṣu — in the numberless divided; tat — that; jñānam — knowledge; viddhi — know; sāttvikam — in the mode of goodness.

Translation: 

That knowledge by which one undivided spiritual nature is seen in all living entities, though they are divided into innumerable forms, you should understand to be in the mode of goodness.

sarva-bhūteṣu yenaikaṁ, among all living entities ekam, only one, 

bhāvam avyayam īkṣate, one sees the imperishable truth, 

avibhaktaṁ vibhakteṣu, what does one see avibhaktaṁ, that there is no difference, vibhakteṣu, although things are differentiated.

taj jñānaṁ viddhi sāttvikam, that is knowledge in the mode of goodness.

So knowledge in the mode of goodness is not necessarily complete spiritual knowledge. Here one sees oneness beyond differentiation at the material level we see things differently, Indian-American, male-female, young-old, beautiful-ugly, but we need to go beyond these differences, to see the commonality the oneness of spirit, and that we see based on knowledge in goodness, 

sarva-bhūteṣu yenaikaṁ
bhāvam avyayam īkṣate

so avyaya bhava one sees and avibhaktaṁ vibhakteṣu, there is vibhakteṣu, lot of differentiation but even between this there is avibhaktaṁ, there is unity so whatever diversity one see underlining there is unity that is knowledge in goodness.

taj jñānaṁ viddhi sāttvikam,

So now Krishna is not saying that one has to refer to scripture to come to knowledge in goodness, even by one’s inference one can come to this truth, for example Srila Prabhupada talked about Socrates he was not in any parampara but he has metaphysical knowledge about the soul and he was fearless at the time of death based on his understanding of the soul and especially the immortality of the soul, he has consoled his friend when his friend’s wife passes away based on immortality of the soul. 

So people in goodness can get the knowledge by being in goodness, like he doesn’t know about Krishna being the Supreme Lord and like that different thinkers can if they live in goodness come to know knowledge in goodness. 

It is not conceptual oneness but spiritual oneness, conceptual oneness is like when people say all Indians are one, or all human beings are one, humanitarian so this oneness is not on basis of very deep understanding.

End of transcription.