Bhagavad Gita · Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga — The Field and Its Knower
Chapter 13, Verse 27
समं सर्वेषु भूतेषु तिष्ठन्तं परमेश्वरम्। विनश्यत्स्वविनश्यन्तं यः पश्यति स पश्यति॥
samaṁ sarveṣu bhūteṣu tiṣṭhantaṁ parameśvaram vinaśyatsv avinaśyantaṁ yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati
Meaning
One who sees the Supreme Lord equally present in all beings, imperishable within the perishable — that person truly sees.
जो व्यक्ति नष्ट होने वाले सभी प्राणियों में समान रूप से स्थित, कभी नष्ट न होने वाले परमेश्वर को देखता है, वही वास्तव में देखता है।
Explanation
This verse offers one of the Gita's clearest tests for genuine spiritual vision: not seeing visions or having unusual experiences, but seeing the same underlying, unchanging reality equally present within every changing, mortal being. The repetition — "one who sees... truly sees" — emphasizes that ordinary perception, which registers only differences between beings (their bodies, circumstances, and eventual decay), is a kind of partial blindness compared to this equal vision. This connects directly to the chapter's broader distinction between the "field" (kshetra — the body and material nature, which is perishable) and the "knower of the field" (kshetrajna — the conscious awareness within it, which is not).
Life Lesson
This verse offers a way of relating to other people that looks past the very real differences in circumstance, personality, and life situation to something held in common and unaffected by any of it. It's frequently cited as a scriptural basis for compassion that doesn't depend on someone deserving or resembling oneself.
Context
Spoken by Krishna in Chapter 13, which distinguishes between the field (the body and material nature) and the knower of the field (pure consciousness). This verse comes as Krishna describes what it looks like to perceive that distinction correctly in everyday experience.
Why this verse matters
This verse is frequently paired with Chapter 5, Verse 18 in discussions of the Gita’s teaching on equal vision — one describing it across social categories, this one describing it across all living beings without distinction.
Related verses
Connects directly to Chapter 15, Verse 7 on individual souls as eternal fragments of the same divine source that this verse asks the reader to perceive directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Bhagavad Gita 13.27 mean?
One who sees the Supreme Lord equally present in all beings, imperishable within the perishable — that person truly sees.
What is the life lesson of this verse?
This verse offers a way of relating to other people that looks past the very real differences in circumstance, personality, and life situation to something held in common and unaffected by any of it. It's frequently cited as a scriptural basis for compassion that doesn't depend on someone deserving or resembling oneself.
What is the context of this verse?
Spoken by Krishna in Chapter 13, which distinguishes between the field (the body and material nature) and the knower of the field (pure consciousness). This verse comes as Krishna describes what it looks like to perceive that distinction correctly in everyday experience.