Bhagavad Gita 18.20
Spoken by Krishna ☆ Key verse · Verse 20 of 78
सर्वभूतेषु येनैकं भावम् अव्ययम् ईक्षते । अविभक्तं विभक्तेषु तज् ज्ञानं विद्धि सात्त्विकम् ॥
sarva-bhūteṣu yenaikaṃ bhāvam avyayam īkṣate | avibhaktaṃ vibhakteṣu taj jñānaṃ viddhi sāttvikam ||
Sāttvic jñāna: seeing ONE imperishable being in ALL — undivided among the divided.
Word by word (3)
- sarva-bhūteṣu yenaikaṃ bhāvam avyayam īkṣate
- — by which (yena) one (ekam) imperishable/unchanging being/reality (bhāvam avyayam) is seen/perceived (īkṣate) in all beings/existences (sarva-bhūteṣu) — sāttvic jñāna = perception of the One Imperishable in ALL
- avibhaktaṃ vibhakteṣu taj jñānaṃ viddhi sāttvikam
- — undivided/inseparate (avibhaktam) in the divided/multiple (vibhakteṣu) — that (tat) knowledge (jñānam) know (viddhi) as sāttvic (sāttvikaṃ) — the unity in multiplicity: the One undivided in the apparently many
- avibhaktaṃ vibhakteṣu
- — undivided among the divided — the characteristic non-dual perception: the apparent division (vibhakta = separated) is seen as not actually dividing the underlying One (avibhakta = undivided); this is the Upaniṣadic ekam eva advitīyam (One alone without second) applied as a mode of perception
That knowledge by which one sees a single imperishable Reality in all beings — undivided among the divided — know that knowledge to be sāttvic.
A modern analogy
Sāttvic jñāna is like recognizing that all waves in the ocean are expressions of the same water, regardless of their different shapes and sizes. The waves appear separate (vibhakta) but the water is not actually divided (avibhakta). The sāttvic knower sees all beings as waves of the One imperishable Reality — different forms, same essence. This is not just a philosophical position but a mode of actual perception.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
That by which a man sees the one Indestructible Reality in all beings, inseparate in the separated — that knowledge know thou as Sattvic. [1]
MISSING from index. [4]
That (knowledge) by which one imperishable entity is seen in all (existences), undivided among the divided — know that knowledge to be of the quality of goodness. [9]
That by which One Eternal Essence is viewed in all things, undivided in the divided, know that to be knowledge having the quality of goodness. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Krishna's first words to Arjuna are a challenge: 'From where has this come over you?'
Dispassion toward sense-objects, no ego, and clearly seeing birth-death-age-disease as painful — this is jñāna!
Those whose sin has ended — virtuous in deed, freed from dvandva-delusion — worship Me with firm resolve.
This most secret śāstra spoken — knowing it, one becomes truly wise and kṛta-kṛtya: all duties fulfilled.
Arjuna asks: what does the truly wise person look like? How do they speak, sit, and move?
Taking refuge in Me for liberation from old age and death — they know Brahman, Adhyātma, and all of Karma.
Verse 20 of 78 · back to Chapter 18