# Equality of All Souls *On sama-darśinaḥ - the equal vision that sees the soul in all living beings* --- ### Equal Vision of the Learned > Paṇḍitā, one who is learned, he is sama-darśinaḥ, equal vision. Not that... Just Kṛṣṇa has equal vision. That picture, Kṛṣṇa, He's embracing the calf. He is not only embracing the gopīs, but He is embracing the calf also, cows also. Sama-darśinaḥ. For Kṛṣṇa the gopīs, the calf and the cows, or anyone in Vṛndāvana who has come to serve Him, they are all equal to Him. — [[spoken/1973/730731bg.lon|Bhagavad-gītā 1.44, London, 1973]] --- ### Same Spiritual Spark > Sama-darśinaḥ means equal vision. A learned brāhmaṇa, he is most intelligent man in the human society, so, and a dog... Superficially, externally, there is much difference. Here is a dog, a street dog, and here is a learned brāhmaṇa. But one who is paṇḍita, one who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he sees that the paṇḍita and the dog, they are the same, because they are also the same spiritual spark. — [[spoken/1973/730731bg.lon|Bhagavad-gītā 1.44, London, 1973]] --- ### Same Dimension of the Soul > That portion is within the ant and within Brahmā and within elephant. Therefore, one who is paṇḍita, one who knows what are these souls, spiritual sparks, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, if he has got full knowledge, then his vision is, vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi-hastini, śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ. — [[spoken/1973/730731bg.lon|Bhagavad-gītā 1.44, London, 1973]] --- ### Internal Equal Vision, External Behavior > Of course, externally, it is not that I shall behave equally with the brāhmaṇa and the dog. That is external behavior. But internally, we should know that both the brāhmaṇa and the dog, they're a spiritual spark. This is called brahma-jñāna. Brahma-jñāna means the knowledge of spiritual self. — [[spoken/1973/730731bg.lon|Bhagavad-gītā 1.44, London, 1973]] --- ### Seeing the Person Within the Coat > The seer will see that though the coats are different the person within the coat is same. This is called equal vision. The meaning of the equal vision is not to see the external coat but to see the person within the coat. There is a gentleman within the coat. That's why he has equal vision. Who is learned? — [[spoken/1976/761204ed.hyd|Evening Darśana, Hyderabad, 1976]] --- ### Not Bodily Identification > A learned brāhmaṇa is there, he is very learned, he is sitting, a dog is sitting, is that equal vision? Is he learned who sees a brāhmaṇa and a dog equally? No. He does not see the body of the brāhmaṇa nor the body of the dog. He sees the soul within the body of the brāhmaṇa and also within the body of the dog. Therefore he has equal vision. — [[spoken/1976/761204ed.hyd|Evening Darśana, Hyderabad, 1976]] --- ### Kindred Spirits > Svajanam means all living entities. Because one who hasn't got Kṛṣṇa consciousness, with ordinary consciousness, material consciousness, he cannot think in terms of svajanam. "My kinsmen, all living entities," he cannot think. Actually, everyone is our svajana, because if God is father, as Kṛṣṇa claims, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā, if He is the supreme father... — [[spoken/1973/730731bg.lon|Bhagavad-gītā 1.44, London, 1973]] --- ### The Devotee is Friend to All > A Vaiṣṇava is not only a friend to the human society, but he is friend to the animal society also, the bird society, tree society, every society. A Vaiṣṇava does not like unnecessarily a tree should be cut down. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. A Vaiṣṇava does not like to trample over an ant. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Sarva-dehinām. — [[spoken/1974/741202sb.bom|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.32, Bombay, 1974]] --- ### Why Only "Daridra-Nārāyaṇa"? > If you have got such broader vision that you are seeing Nārāyaṇa in everything, then what the rich man has done? He is also Nārāyaṇa. And the goat has... He is also Nārāyaṇa. The cow, he is also Nārāyaṇa. Then you should... If you have such broader vision that you see everywhere Nārāyaṇa, then why should you specify a section, daridra-nārāyaṇa? — [[spoken/1974/741202sb.bom|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.32, Bombay, 1974]] --- ### One Ten-Thousandth Part > The dimension of the soul is also mentioned in the śāstra: one ten-thousandth part of the tip of a hair. Very minute. So just see that minute portion of God is so powerful. Just like potassium cyanide. Minute quantity, if you take one grain, immediately you'll die. Similarly, if some ordinary material thing is so powerful, just imagine the spirit soul, how much powerful he is. — [[spoken/1976/760530sb.hon|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.31, Honolulu, 1976]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on the equality of all souls* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]