Chapter IX · Śloka 29
समोऽहं सर्वभूतेषु न मे द्वेष्योऽस्ति न प्रियः ।
ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम् ॥
ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम् ॥
samo 'haṃ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ |
ye bhajanti tu māṃ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpy aham ||
ye bhajanti tu māṃ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpy aham ||
I am equal toward all beings; none is hateful to Me, none is dear. But those who worship Me with devotion — they are in Me, and I am in them.
Divine equanimity is not indifference: Kṛṣṇa is equally present in all, playing no favorites. Yet devotion creates a special mutual indwelling — the bhakta lives in Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa lives in the bhakta. Love creates a reciprocity that pure equality cannot.