QA on racism Q 5 What does seeing everyone equally mean practically?

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Q5: What does seeing everyone equally mean practically?

Question:
Thank you, Prabhuji. I wanted to understand better the four levels of equality you mentioned earlier. In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna talks about equal vision. So at one level, we are supposed to see everyone equally. But at another level, society is divided into four varnas and ashramas. So is the reconciliation of this apparent contradiction that equality is at the level of identity? Is that the idea?

Answer:
Yes, that’s exactly right.

In Bhagavad-gita 5.18, Krishna says that a wise person (a pandita) sees all living beings with equal vision—whether a brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog, or a dog-eater. So this vision of equality is metaphysical—it’s based on the understanding that everyone is a soul, a spiritual being beyond the body.

Interestingly, many social commentators have noted what seems like a paradox in Indian civilization: among all the world’s thought systems, the Indian spiritual tradition most strongly affirms the metaphysical equality of all living beings. The famous idea that “the whole world is one family” (vasudhaiva kutumbakam) comes from here. Many tribal or localized worldviews in other civilizations didn’t emphasize universal equality like this.

Yet, at the same time, sociologically, Indian society developed one of the most hierarchical systems, especially as seen in the rigid caste structure that eventually emerged. So how do we reconcile this?

The key lies in understanding that equality in vision does not mean equality in action.

Let’s take an example. Imagine two animals: a small house cat and a large tiger. Biologically, they may be from the same feline species, but we behave very differently with them. If a cat is causing trouble, we might just clap and it runs away. But if a tiger is near us, we will be the ones running away!

So while there may be a biological or even metaphysical similarity, our behavior varies based on practical realities.

Similarly, in human society, we can acknowledge the spiritual equality of all living beings, but we still need to deal with people differently based on their abilities, tendencies, and roles. This is not discrimination—it’s differentiation with purpose.

Think of a parent with multiple children. The parent loves all their children equally. But one child may need more academic support; another may be exceptionally talented and just needs space to flourish. So the parent doesn’t treat all children identically, but rather treats them appropriately according to their unique needs.

So in summary:

• Equal vision means recognizing everyone’s spiritual equality.
• But equal vision doesn’t mean identical treatment.
• Our actions should be appropriate to each individual’s qualities, needs, and context.

That’s how Vedic philosophy resolves the tension between spiritual equality and social diversity.