Chapter V · Śloka 18
Śrī Kṛṣṇa uvāca
विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि |
शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः ||
शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः ||
vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini |
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ ||
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ ||
The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater.
Equal vision — sama-darśana — is the mark of the truly wise. It does not mean indifference to circumstance; it means seeing past the outer garment to the same self that inhabits all forms. This radical equality is not tolerance; it is recognition.