Gita 09.29 – Krishna is neither impartial nor partial – he is reciprocal

Bhagavad Gita 9.29 maite teshu chaapyaham samoham sarvabhuteshu Krishna is saying that I am equal to all living beings na me dvesho sthena priyaha that there is no one who is he is envious of nor is he partial to anyone the word priya normally means dear but in this context because it is in juxtaposition to dvesha so Krishna is not unfavorably disposed towards anyone nor is Krishna specially favorably disposed towards anyone and what about his devotees ye bhajan tituma bhaktya those who worship him with devotion maite teshu chaapyaham Krishna says that they are in me and I am in them maite so it's a very intimate form of union that Krishna is talking about here he is not just saying that that he loves them and they love him he is saying that actually there is an interpenetration of being itself that he is in them and they are in him sadhavam hridayam mahiyam sadhunam hridayam tadaham madanyatena janatinaham tebhyo managapi Lord Vishnu while speaking to Durvasa Muni in the 9th canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam says that the sadhus are in my heart and I am in the sadhus heart madanyatena janati that they don't know anyone apart from me and I don't know anyone apart from them so this is a very intimate form of affection which leads to both the lover and the beloved living in each other's hearts and this second half of the verse contrasts very dramatically in emotional tenor with the first half where there is neutrality that I am equal to all and with a dramatic transition from neutrality in the first half of the verse to intensity to fervency in the second half and to understand this transition we have to look at the context previously if we look at this whole section Krishna has said that the demigod worshippers get temporary result shi ne punye martya lokam vishanti this is 9.21 and his devotees then he further said that for worshipping him there are no rules 9.26 and then he says that mukto mam paishishi where devatas, worshippers they will go to devatas where those who worship him will come to him and he has already stated that those who attain him attain an eternal destination because his abode is eternal so this might lead to a question is Krishna partial that those who worship him may give them elevated result and others he doesn't give elevated result why is that isn't that partiality no Krishna first of all clarifies that by saying no he is not partial he is equal to all the first two lines there is no scope for ambiguity left about Krishna's impartiality when he first says that to all living beings that means it's not just to devotees and demigod worshippers but Krishna is equal towards all living beings not just human beings all living beings so he is present as a super soul in the hearts of all living beings and he doesn't discriminate oh this person is a shudra this person I won't be in his heart this person is a brahmana I'll be in his heart he doesn't think oh this creature is a insect in stool I cannot be in his heart oh this creature is a swan in clean water I'll be in his heart no Krishna doesn't discern he is unflinchingly unfailingly available for all living beings in his indwelling manifestation of the super soul and thus he reveals his uncompromising equality in equality or impartiality in dealing with all living beings at the same time in the second half he states that yeh bhajanti tumha bhaktya those who worship him with devotion bhaktya actually this was this word which has come here in 9.29 had come earlier just 3 verses earlier in 9.26 when Krishna stated that patram pushpam phalam doyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati bhaktya with devotion similarly here also it says those who worship him not out of some ritualistic obligation but out of genuine devotion yeh bhajanti tumha bhaktya maite I am in them and they are in me so interpenetration of beings is actually a far more intimate and relishable form of oneness than the oneness of merging many people think that merging into the absolute truth will lead to liberation so in the second half yeh bhajanti tumha bhaktya maite teshu chaapya ham that is basically a continuation of what Krishna told long ago in 4.11 that as all people surrender unto him Krishna responds accordingly so he is reciprocal and his reciprocity is foundational to his personality and essential for there to be any possibility of loving relationships if a person is absolutely neutral and unemotional we may respect that person's stoicism but a very intimate affectionate relationship will be made difficult by that very stoicism we may have admiration but intimate affection will be difficult if that person does not reciprocate with anything that we do so Krishna as a super soul is the guide, the overseer, the permitter and in that role he is equal to all living beings but when the living beings turn to him and try to serve him and try to devote themselves to him at that time when they take as it is said when we take one step towards God, God takes a hundred steps towards us so in that mode Krishna is saying that those who worship me with devotion I offer myself to them, I exist in them and they offer themselves to me and they exist in me it is Krishna's reciprocity that makes his personality tangible that makes his love transformational that makes relationships with him real so the more we turn towards Krishna the more Krishna reveals his beauty to us thereby increasing the sweetness of devotion that we relish in our heart and that makes us, that inspires us to focus more and more of our heart on him and him alone and that singular focus which is an expression of our strong intent to love him that causes Krishna to reciprocate further and he too rewards by revealing more and more of his sweetness and this reciprocation of intensification of our offering of devotion and increase of his revelation of his sweetness devotion in this cycle devotion becomes an everlasting ever increasing ecstasy.