Bhagavad Gita BG 5.18
Chapter 5, Verse 18 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि । शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः ॥
vidya-vinaya-sampanne brahmanhe gavi hastini nshuni caiva shvapake ca panahditah sama-darshipanah
Meaning
The wise see the same in a learned and humble brahmin, in a cow, in an elephant, and also in a dog and a dog-eater.
Understanding
One of the most radical statements in the Gita: panditah sama-darsinah — the wise are same-seers. The list spans extremes: a vidya-vinaya-sampanna brahmin (top of social order), a cow (sacred), an elephant (majestic), then a dog (considered impure), and a shvapaka (dog-eater, the lowest outcaste). In all five, the wise see the same Atman, the same Consciousness. Not 'I respect them equally' but 'I see the SAME in them all.' Complete dissolution of caste-vision into Self-vision.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने | vidya-vinaya-sampanne | endowed with knowledge and humility |
| गवि | gavi | in a cow |
| हस्तिनि | hastini | in an elephant |
| श्वपाके | shvapake | in a dog-eater (lowest outcaste) |
| समदर्शिनः | sama-darsinah | equal-seers, those who see the same in all |
| ब्राह्मणे | brāhmaṇe | in a brahmin / in the learned |
| श्वनि | śvani | in a dog / regarding a dog |
| च एव | caiva | and also / and indeed |
| च | ca | and (last conjunction) |
| पण्डिताः | paṇḍitāḥ | the wise / the learned (see with equal vision) |