समोऽहं सर्वभूतेषु न मे द्वेष्योऽस्ति न प्रियः ।
ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम् ।। ९.२९ ।।

samo’haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo’sti na priyaḥ |
ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpy-aham || 9.29 ||

Krishna began the chapter with the promise that he would be disclosing the greatest secret, which has the power to redeem human mind from all grief, delusion and inauspicious developments. He was elevating Arjuna’s comprehension to the raja-vidya level, wherein all existences would appear as waves in the sea, losing their differences.

He went a step further to say that even the waviness, in reality, does not have any implication of variety. It does not denote any entity or expression, separate from the sea. In fact, what the sea is, that alone is the wave. All differences in perception drop completely, making the mind float in singularness and comprehensiveness. The world first acts as the cause of all the confusion, but next becomes a help and facility for clarity. The change and ascent befall and grace the mind alone.

From the perspective of the mind, all existences – external, gross and objective – are no more than mere perceptions, for which the mind alone is the base, content and conclusion. It is because of this grand, indisputable and supreme Oneness, that the endless creation, with its seeming variety, survives and reigns.

The variety is just an expression of the Supreme. It makes creation interesting, full of potentials and possibilities, giving scope for all kinds of existences to thrive, make or mar their own place and fate. In the case of animals, the intrinsic freedom and choice do not pose a problem, for they do not have as much intelligence as humanity has. In the humans the mind-intelligence duo, together with the enormous power of articulation and sharing, makes an astounding difference. All the strife and accord, ugliness and beauty, repulsion and charm, naivety and excellence the human world displays, are a result of intelligence and its multi-faceted creativity.

That is how people form different categories. The good and noble are there, so too the bad and ignoble. Each one picks up his or her wont, pursues it to one’s heart’s content, remaining within the fold of the body, mind and intelligence. All these three can be moulded, though the scope for remoulding the body is relatively small. The more we go inward, the greater is the subtlety and hence greater is the scope for transformation.

Think of a set of sportsmen, who decide to play football. How do they make their dream a reality? They form into groups of eleven. All cannot obviously stand on the same side of the ground. They decide to divide themselves into two groups, each standing on one half of the ground and striking the ball to the opposite direction alone.

Thus, 11 played and moved eastward, while another 11 led the ball westward. Each team’s advance was thwarted by the other team, and every one then began to show his distinction and excellence in the play.

Each was using his body, mind and intelligence, more and more astutely every time. All played, for the joy and success of what they do. Some began to excel and very soon one team excelled another. The Supreme stood everywhere, witnessing and encouraging the players. For Him all are the same – His creations, His products.

At any time, if any player forgets how he chose to play, it would no more be a game. It becomes a fight, losing all its charm and innocence. Where sportsmanship should have reigned, unbecoming competition and malicious scheming take over. Driven by greed for victory, aiming at rewards and recognition, the sport turns into extreme foul-play, leading to distasteful aggression and even violence.

The Supreme standing everywhere amidst the players, like a referee, becomes the impartial witness. He will regard all the players as equally His, neither rejoicing nor sorrowing, thereby enabling all players to display their best.

Krishna describes how The Supreme remains equidistant to all minds. By the law and fact of variety, some players remember their position. While playing excellently well, they do not get victimized by victory or defeat. The winners will attribute their victory to the lesser skill of the opposing team. When they lose, they would gracefully compliment the winners, remaining at home with the outcome of their own inferior efforts:

The Supreme reigns equally in all beings. No one is particularly hateful or dear to the Supreme. Nevertheless, those who remain devoted heartily to the Supreme, will be in the Supreme, and the Supreme too will be in them. Their minds will abide in the Supreme and the Supreme will abide in them too.

Whether it is devotion, action or knowledge, the whole outcome is determined by the attitude and choice of the individual’s own mind and intelligence. One can look at the world of objects; look far and wide, to glimpse the endless space and its contents. He can marvel at how the vast endlessness reigns. To perceive the huge visible variety, one’s body has to circumscribe his mind and intelligence, making him distinct from all the rest. Only then the perception and interaction with the visibles will be facilitated.