See the Self in all beings.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
सर्वभूतस्थमात्मानं सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि |ईक्षते योगयुक्तात्मा सर्वत्र समदर्शनः ||६-२९||
sarvabhūtasthamātmānaṃ sarvabhūtāni cātmani . īkṣate yogayuktātmā sarvatra samadarśanaḥ ||6-29||
Use this verse when meditation must become compassion.
Meaning
The yogi united in yoga sees the Self in all beings and all beings in the Self, seeing equally everywhere.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Meditation matures into universal vision.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Real yoga changes how we see others. The yogi perceives unity beneath difference and becomes less selfish and divisive.
Read the traditional commentary
Here the chapter blossoms into its highest vision. The yoga-yukta-atma — the one whose mind is harmonized by yoga — no longer sees a world of separate, isolated beings. He beholds the same Self abiding within all creatures, and all creatures resting within that one Self. The walls between 'self' and 'other' dissolve in a vision of profound unity.
This is sama-darshana, equal vision — seeing the same divine essence everywhere. It is the fruit of all the inner discipline that preceded it: only a mind purified and stilled can perceive this oneness, which the agitated mind, busy sorting the world into mine and not-mine, can never see.
This realization is not a mere idea to believe but a direct seeing (ikshate). And it is the natural ground of compassion: when you behold the same Self in every being, no creature can be truly foreign to you. The meditation of solitude flowers, paradoxically, into intimate kinship with all that lives.
In daily life
Let meditation increase compassion.
A meditator becomes kinder to people, animals, and nature.
Try this today
Offer one act of kindness to any being today.
I see the same Self in all.Reflect
Do I see others as separate or sacred?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘सर्वभूतस्थम् आत्मानम्’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on compassion, in other chapters
- Verse 14.4All beings, in every form of life, share one universal mother and one divine father — which makes every creature kin.
- Verse 5.18The wise see the same divine Self in every being, high or low — equal vision is the natural fruit of self-knowledge.
- Verse 13.28True seeing is recognising the same deathless presence dwelling equally in every being.
- Verse 11.13 · SanjayaThe countless forms of the world and their hidden unity are, in truth, seen as one.
Swipe left for 6.30 · Divine vision removes separation.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 6.29
Who says Bhagavad Gita 6.29, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 6.29, in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga (Dhyana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 6.29 mean?
The yogi united in yoga sees the Self in all beings and all beings in the Self, seeing equally everywhere. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 6.29 for daily life?
Let meditation increase compassion. A meditator becomes kinder to people, animals, and nature.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 6.29 mean?
सर्वभूतस्थम् आत्मानम् — the Self abiding in all beings; सर्वभूतानि च आत्मनि — and all beings in the Self; ईक्षते — he sees; योगयुक्तात्मा — one whose mind is harmonised by yoga; सर्वत्र समदर्शनः — seeing the same everywhere.
Where does verse 6.29 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 29 of 47 in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga. The next verse is 6.30.