Treating pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat alike, then engage in battle. In this way you will incur no sin.
सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ | ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि ||२-३८||
Equality
Across world spiritual traditions, equality generally refers to the idea of fairness and equal treatment for all individuals. Many traditions converge on the importance of treating others with respect and dignity, regardless of their background or circumstances. However, traditions diverge in their specific perspectives and approaches to achieving equality, offering unique insights and practices.
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Quotes
I am the same toward all beings; none is hateful or dear to me. But those who worship me with devotion are in me, and I too am in them.
समोऽहं सर्वभूतेषु न मे द्वेष्योऽस्ति न प्रियः | ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम् ||९-२९||
One who, by comparison with oneself, sees the same everywhere, Arjuna — whether pleasure or pain — that yogi is regarded as the highest.
आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योऽर्जुन | सुखं वा यदि वा दुःखं स योगी परमो मतः ||६-३२||
One whose self is united through yoga, seeing the same everywhere, sees the Self present in all beings and all beings in the Self.
सर्वभूतस्थमात्मानं सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि | ईक्षते योगयुक्तात्मा सर्वत्र समदर्शनः ||६-२९||
The wise see with equal vision a learned and humble brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and an outcaste who cooks dog.
विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि | शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः ||५-१८||
Kabir would say, 'The God with form is my Mother, and the formless God is my Father. Who should I blame or worship? Both sides of the scale are equal.'
For those who take refuge in me, Arjuna — even those born of sinful wombs, women, merchants, and laborers alike — they too reach the supreme goal.
मां हि पार्थ व्यपाश्रित्य येऽपि स्युः पापयोनयः | स्त्रियो वैश्यास्तथा शूद्रास्तेऽपि यान्ति परां गतिम् ||९-३२||
One who is even-minded toward well-wishers, friends, enemies, the indifferent, the neutral, the hateful, and relatives, and toward the good and the wicked alike, stands out as superior.
सुहृन्मित्रार्युदासीनमध्यस्थद्वेष्यबन्धुषु | साधुष्वपि च पापेषु समबुद्धिर्विशिष्यते ||६-९||
Even here on earth, the cycle of birth is conquered by those whose minds rest in equanimity; for Brahman is flawless and impartial, and therefore they are established in Brahman.
इहैव तैर्जितः सर्गो येषां साम्ये स्थितं मनः | निर्दोषं हि समं ब्रह्म तस्माद् ब्रह्मणि ते स्थिताः ||५-१९||
When a child is born, there is no symbol to indicate that it belongs to a particular religion or caste. The distinction of man is only that he is man. It is the same divine light that dwells in every human being. It is therefore essential that after taking birth as a human being one must behave like a human being.
Salutations to the Guru — by whose knowledge the universe is no longer seen as fractured into separate parts, who is ever one, whose form is forever the same undivided wholeness.
यस्य ज्ञानादिदं विश्वं न दृश्यं भिन्नभेदतः । सदेकरूपरूपाय तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः
When there is light of God-knowledge, we realise the truth that no human being is a stranger, nobody is high and nobody is low. Thereafter, man treats everybody as an image of God. He devotes himself to the service of all. He loves all. All kinds of hatred and jealousy are gone.
All human beings in the world have soul in them. In terms of soul, they are all equal. A person who works for the division of humanity cannot be known as religious. He remains irreligious because religion always unites.
Once man knows God, all his feelings of discrimination are gone. The walls dividing the high and low do not stand any more. One sees the image of God in all human beings.
Once we know this God, all misgivings and misapprehensions are over. The sense of difference between our own and strangers is gone. The walls that tend to divide people as high and low on the basis of caste are shattered. There is no hatred, there is no malice. This life is automatically filled with joy.
The dispute is not that of languages, neither states nor nations; the problem lies in not treating others as our own, in treating them as lower than ourselves, inferior to ourselves.
He whose equanimity remains whether he is honored by the good or tormented by the wicked — he is held to be liberated-in-life.
साधुभिः पूज्यमानेऽस्मिन्पीड्यमानेऽपि दुर्जनैः । समभावो भवेद्यस्य स जीवन्मुक्त इष्यते
Therefore, even if one who knows this were to give his leftover food to an outcaste, it would still be offered into his own Vaishvanara Self. On this there is a verse:
तस्मादु हैवंविद्यद्यपि चण्डालायोच्छिष्टं प्रयच्छेदात्मनि हैवास्य तद्वैश्वानरे हुतꣳ स्यादिति तदेष श्लोकः
He is also emancipated who looks upon life and death, pleasure and pain, gain and loss, and agreeable and disagreeable things with an equal mind.
Saints speak of love, humanity and universal brotherhood. They preach equality only, saying that all human beings are the creation of the same God.