BG 6.9 — Dhyāna-Yoga — Sūtrakṛt-Gītā

Bhagavad Gītā 6.9Chapter 6 · Dhyāna-Yoga · Krishna → Arjuna · anuṣṭubh

सुहृन्मित्रार्य्उदासीनमध्यस्थद्वेष्यबन्धुषु ।

साधुष्वपि च पापेषु समबुद्धिर् विशिष्यते ॥

suhṛn-mitrāry-udāsīna-m adhya-stha-dveṣya-bandhuṣu

sādhuṣv api ca pāpeṣu sama-buddhir viśiṣyate

spokensingle-voice recital; rendered via IndicF5 conditioned on a Sanskrit reference clip

meaning

The one whose mind holds equal ground toward well-wisher, friend, foe, bystander, mediator, the hateful, kinsman, the virtuous, and the sinful is distinguished above all.

ekras · bhāṣya

Toward well-wisher, friend, foe, neutral, mediator, hateful one, kinsman, and equally toward the virtuous and the sinful — the one who holds sama-buddhi is vishishyate, distinguished above all. The list is not abbreviated; it is exhaustive precisely because the test must be exhaustive.

Shridhara gives the cleanest etymological gloss of each term. Suhrit — the natural well-wisher, hita-shamsi by his own disposition. Mitra — the helper moved by sneha. Ari — the killer. Udasina — indifferent to both sides in a quarrel. Madhyastha — wishing good to both sides. Dveshya — the object of one's own aversion. Bandhu — the related one. Sadhu — the virtuous; papa — the vicious. Nine relational positions; one inner stance.

Madhusudana sharpens each definition. Suhrit is praty-upakaram anapekshya — without expecting a return — and purva-sneham sambandham cha vina — even without prior affection or kinship. Ari is svakrita-apakaram anapekshya svabhava-krauryena apakarta — the one who harms by innate cruelty, without regard to whether the target has done him harm. The verse's terms are not loose synonyms; each names a specific relational mode.

Madhva grounds equal regard in an ontological fact. All jivas are by their intrinsic nature chid-rupa, free of defect; whatever appears as saintliness or sinfulness is the work of the antahkarana and is ultimately ordained by Ishvara, not self-generated. The yogi who sees this — that no jiva originates its own moral coloring — naturally holds sama-buddhi.

Vallabha reads 6.8-6.9 as a single teaching: the yoga-arudha tripta with jnana and vijnana, kutastha as anvil, sees the entire field of suhrit and ari as Krishna's own play.

Context

where

Chapter 6 · Dhyāna-Yoga · meter anuṣṭubh

who speaks

Krishna → Arjuna

preceded by — BG 6.8

Satisfied by knowledge and the direct experience of it, standing unmoved with senses mastered, treating a clod of earth, a stone, and gold as equal: such a person is rightly called a yogi.

What's going on

The one whose mind holds equal ground toward well-wisher, friend, foe, bystander, mediator, the hateful, kinsman, the virtuous, and the sinful is distinguished above all.

Sūtras through this verse (63)

RamsukhdasclassicalA

What binds you (and how to let go)between

6.1True renouncing acts; drops the inner hook.───→here6.9───→7.30Hold the Lord through every layer of life.

RāmānujaclassicalB

The śāstra is one bracket (2.12 → 18.66)between

2.39Practice seam begins.───→here6.9───→6.46The yogi outranks every other path.

MadhvaclassicalT6

Citation is the spine — texts carry the loadbetween

6.6Maitrāyaṇī defines the stilled mind.───→here6.9───→7.5Doubled prakṛti named from a single śruti.

show all 63

Madhusūdanaclassicalmadhusudan_bhagavad_arpana

Madhusudan Bhagavad Arpanabetween · other

6.1Renouncer and yogi together───→here6.9───→9.22Yogakshema as offering returned

MadhusūdanaclassicalB

Different students need different teachingsbetween

6.1The renouncer and yogi are one under two views.───→here6.9───→7.16Four kinds of devotee, ranked by ripeness.

MadhusūdanaclassicalC

Action purifies before knowing can landbetween

6.1Renouncing too lives by purity of mind.───→here6.9───→16.1The dispositions decide who can even begin.

MadhusūdanaclassicalD

Offer the act to the Lord and it stops bindingbetween

6.1The fruit-unattached one is yogi and renouncer.───→here6.9───→9.22The undivided ones the Lord himself sustains.

MadhusūdanaclassicalG

Knowing and acting cannot run togetherbetween

6.1Calling a karma-yogi 'renouncer' is only a courtesy.───→here6.9───→18.1At the very end, the line still holds.

MadhusūdanaclassicalI

Liberation while alive — the body finishes its runbetween

3.1The architecture ends in living-liberation, then bodily.───→here6.9───→6.46The yogi with mind-stilled stands above mere knowing.

MadhusūdanaclassicalE

Devotion is how knowing actually arrivesapproach

───→here6.9───→7.1The chapter elaborates the prior bhajana-line.

MadhusūdanaclassicalF

Every middle chapter opens with a bow to the teacherapproach

───→here6.9───→7.1A bow to the bliss-cloud, Nanda's son, opens seven.

RamsukhdasclassicalB

This human birth — your one chance to actbetween

3.8Even keeping the body alive requires action.───→here6.9───→6.40A fallen seeker still keeps the human birth.

RamsukhdasclassicalC

Desire is the root — not actionbetween

5.26With desire gone, the goal stands on all sides.───→here6.9───→6.24Renounce every desire born of will.

RamsukhdasclassicalG

Equanimity in everythingbetween

6.8Clay, stone, and gold are all level to him.───→here6.9───→6.32Sees others' pain and joy as his own.

RamsukhdasclassicalH

All paths arrive at the same roombetween

5.4Insight and practice are not two paths.───→here6.9───→6.46The lover outranks every other yogi.

RamsukhdasclassicalK

The body is not yoursbetween

6.3Body, senses, and mind: none of them yours.───→here6.9───→13.20Nature causes the act; you only experience.

Ramsukhdasclassical

Sādhaka Sañjīvanī commentary at this versebetween

───→here6.9───→

RamsukhdasclassicalI

The Lord already inside the heartapproach

───→here6.9───→6.30See Me everywhere, I am never lost.

MadhvaclassicalT2

Soul depends on Lord — the gap that does not closestation

───→here6.9───→

MadhvaclassicalT3

Ranking is real — and it never collapsesstation

───→here6.9───→

RāmānujaclassicalC

Three ṣaṭkas (1–6 / 7–12 / 13–18)between

6.1The renouncer and yogi are the same person.───→here6.9───→7.1Open the second ṣaṭka: mind clung to Me.

RāmānujaclassicalD

Karma-yoga as kainkarya (worship)between

6.1The renouncer is the one who acts for Me.───→here6.9───→9.27Whatever you do, do it as offering.

MadhvaclassicalT7

Action and knowledge — never rivalsbetween

6.1The renouncer and yogi are one person, two names.───→here6.9───→18.2The ritualists' śruti fixes the closing definition.

MadhvaclassicalT8

Direct vision — the only proximate causebetween

6.7The stilled mind sees the seated supreme self.───→here6.9───→6.46The five-rung ladder ends in love, not knowledge.

MadhvaclassicalT9

Devotion and grace — what knowledge cannot do alonebetween

2.72Many lives of bhakti precede the final crossing.───→here6.9───→6.30Devotion brings what the seeker cannot earn.

MadhvaclassicalT12

Closure by gloss — the small repertoirebetween

5.7'Self of all' resolves to the Lord himself.───→here6.9───→6.20'Self' here is not soul but the Lord within.

VallabhaclassicalC

Drop the doer, not the deedbetween

6.1Real renouncing keeps the act alive.───→here6.9───→18.1The closing chapter reopens this question.

VallabhaclassicalD

Chapter-opening preludesbetween

6.1Prelude binds yoga to puṣṭi-bhakti.───→here6.9───→7.1Seven-verse prelude opens the bhakti-ṣaṭka.

VallabhaclassicalE

Three paths, one teaching orderbetween

6.1The two paths are one through fruit-renouncing act.───→here6.9───→6.46The lover outranks the wise and the disciplined.

VallabhaclassicalH

Stilling the mind — into the Lordbetween

2.48Yoga itself is just sameness of mind.───→here6.9───→6.46The yogi closing the ṣaṭka is a mind-stiller.

RāmānujaclassicalA

World as the Lord's body (antaryāmin)approach

───→here6.9───→7.4Two natures of the Lord: matter and selves.

RāmānujaclassicalE

Bhakti as continuous recollectionapproach

───→here6.9───→7.17I am dearest to him.

RāmānujaclassicalF

Two prakṛtis · jīva as eternal aṃśaapproach

───→here6.9───→7.4Lower nature: matter.

RāmānujaclassicalJ

Śeṣa-śeṣī · pati-vrata simileapproach

───→here6.9───→7.18He is My self; I cannot hold without him.

VallabhaclassicalB

Grace alone — the technical markapproach

───→here6.9───→7.18The wise one is Myself, by grace alone.

VallabhaclassicalK

Aphorism, gloss, full commentaryapproach

───→here6.9───→6.47Six chapters of aphorism close at this verse.

Gauravmodernchaplaincy_kit_of_tools

Chaplaincy Kit Of Toolsbetween

4.34Paramparā / direct transmission. 'Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprashnena sevaya, u───→here6.9───→6.11Mudra and posture. 'Shuchau deshe pratishthapya sthiram asanam atmanah.' Establi

Gauravmoderncivilizational_air_conditioning

Civilizational Air Conditioningbetween

6.5'Uddhared atmanatmanam natmanam avasadayet.' Lift yourself by yourself, do not l───→here6.9───→16.21'Tri-vidham narakasyedam dvaram nashanam atmanah, kamah krodhas tatha lobhah.' T

Gauravmodernheart_leadership

Heart Leadershipbetween

6.7'Jitatmanah prashantasya paramatma samahitah.' For the self-conquered, in-peace,───→here6.9───→6.35'Asamshayam maha-baho mano durnigraham chalam, abhyasena tu Kaunteya vairagyena

Gauravmodernthree_yogas_braid

Three Yogas Braidbetween

5.5'Yat sankhyaih prapyate sthanam tad yogair api gamyate.' The place reached by sa───→here6.9───→6.46'Tapasvibhyo'dhiko yogi jnanibhyo'pi mato'dhikah, karmibhyash chadhiko yogi tasm

Gauravmodernwitness_self_neti_neti

Witness Self Neti Netibetween

2.20'Na jayate mriyate va kadachit, nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah, ajo nityah sh───→here6.9───→6.20'Yatroparamate chittam niruddham yoga-sevaya, yatra chaivatmana'tmanam pashyann

ĀnandagiriclassicalB

Three hexads = tat tvam asibetween

2.1First hexad opens, tvam-pada implicit.───→here6.9───→6.46Inner-self hexad closes; pivot prepared.

ĀnandagiriclassicalC

Adhikāra: seeker vs. fulfilledbetween

5.1Two saṃnyāsas: fruit and means.───→here6.9───→6.46Yogin vs. jñānin: not synonyms.

ĀnandagiriclassicalK

Upasaṃhāra — recap as instrumentbetween

2.39Wisdom section wound up here.───→here6.9───→6.46Dhyāna section sealed: yogin is supreme.

ĀnandagiriclassicalI

Bhakti carries jñāna, never parallelapproach

───→here6.9───→7.1Upāsya and tat-pada in apposition. Anchor.

ĀnandagiriclassicalJ

Prakṛti is never autonomousapproach

───→here6.9───→7.4Two-fold prakṛti is the Lord's own power.

Śaṅkaraclassicalshankara_jnana_nishtha

Shankara Jnana Nishthabetween · other

6.1Soft sense of renouncer───→here6.9───→18.49Naishkarmya-siddhi by sannyāsa

ŚaṅkaraclassicalB

Knowledge alone, with all action laid downbetween

6.1The fire-keeper is renouncer only in a soft sense.───→here6.9───→18.49Action-freedom comes from full renunciation.

VedāntadeśikaclassicalF

Saṅgati — anticipation-and-resolutionbetween

3.1Arjuna's question resolves 2.49's hint.───→here6.9───→6.47Top-yogin clause — the chapter-7 hinge.

VedāntadeśikaclassicalG

Three yogas — three angles on one configurationbetween

6.1The renouncer and yogi are one figure.───→here6.9───→6.46The yogi outranks tapasvi, jñāni, karmin.

ŚrīdharaclassicalL

Chapter prefaces as the bhāṣya's spinebetween

6.1Pure mind is not yet release: now meditate.───→here6.9───→8.1Now, the questions of Brahman and self.

ŚaṅkaraclassicalI

The lover and the knower are one personapproach

───→here6.9───→7.16Of the four devotees, the knower is dearest.

VedāntadeśikaclassicalB

Prapatti — bhakti's access for those the long path defeatsapproach

───→here6.9───→7.14Those who take refuge cross the māyā.

VedāntadeśikaclassicalI

9.24 — the standing citation for ārādhyaapproach

───→here6.9───→7.21Deity-worship: His self-arrangement of grace.

ŚrīdharaclassicalC

Devotion is both the way and the homeapproach

───→here6.9───→6.47Be a devotee: that is the meaning.

ŚrīdharaclassicalH

The grammar of single-pointednessapproach

───→here6.9───→7.14Undivided love crosses the great mist.

ŚrīdharaclassicalK

Death-memory as the test of daily habitapproach

───→here6.9───→8.5Whoever remembers Me at the last reaches Me.

ŚaṅkaraclassicalG

After knowing, act only to hold the worldexit

5.8I do nothing at all, says the knower.───→here6.9───→

Ekrasmodernvairagya

Vairāgya — dispassion as instrumentbetween · v2

6.4Renounced in resolve───→here6.9───→6.35Practice and dispassion

Ekrasmodernmeditation

Meditation — the dhyāna tourapproach · v2

───→here6.9───→6.10Solitary seat

Ekrasmodernbhakti

Bhakti — devotion pathapproach · v2

───→here6.9───→7.16Four kinds of bhakta

JayatīrthaclassicalC

Refuting Śaṅkara-style readings, named or unnamedbetween

6.1Householder is not figurative saṁnyāsin.───→here6.9───→7.13Why this declaration? The gloss must answer.

JayatīrthaclassicalD

Saṅgati declared at the head of every adhyāyabetween

6.1Karma-yoga is outer; samādhi-yoga inner.───→here6.9───→7.1First ṣaṭka closed; new pratijñā opens.

Śabda · lemmas (15 unique · 15 occurrences)

पापेषु pāpa — sin, evil, demerit · locative masculine plural noun
विशिष्यते vi-√śiṣ — to distinguish, mark out (vi- + √śiṣ) · present indicative pass 3rd person singular verb
द्वेष्य dviṣ — to hate (verbal root); enemy · compound gdv (compound member) · also at 9.29

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सुहृद् suhṛd — (su- + hṛd: heart) · compound · also at 9.16, 9.17, 9.18
मित्र mitra — friend; the deity Mitra · compound
आरि āri — (rare lemma; meaning unclear — see commentaries) · compound
उदासीन udāsīna — indifferent, neutral; one who sits apart (ud- + ā- + √sad) · compound · also at 9.9, 12.16, 14.23
मध्य madhya — middle, midst · compound
स्थ stha — standing, situated (suffix) · compound
बन्धुषु bandhu — kinsman, relative (from √bandh 'bind') · locative masculine plural noun
साधुषु sādhu — good, virtuous; a holy person · locative masculine plural noun
अपि api — also, even, although
च ca — and; (homonym: also the consonant ca)
सम sama — equal, same, even-minded · compound
बुद्धिः buddhi — intellect, intelligence, discriminating faculty · nominative masculine singular noun

Praśna · so what (7)

01Does Kṛṣṇa's praise of sama-buddhi require erasing moral distinctions between sādhu and pāpa, or does Madhva's reading — equal intrinsic vision, differentiated worship — resolve the tension?
02Śaṅkara reads viśiṣyate / vimucyate as near-synonyms; does the liberation promised here belong to the yogī who achieves sama-buddhi, or is sama-buddhi merely evidence of liberation already attained?

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03Rāmānuja frames sama-buddhi as fitness for yoga-practice (yogābhyāsa-ārhattva), not its culmination — how does this gradualism differ from Śaṅkara's collapsed equation of equal vision with mukti?
04Madhusūdana distinguishes ari (harms by nature, unprovoked) from dveṣya (harms in proportion to harm received) — does the Gītā require the yogī to hold equal regard toward both despite the moral difference in culpability?
05Vallabha derives sama-buddhi from devotional saturation (tṛpti) rather than effortful discipline — what does this imply for practitioners who seek equanimity without first achieving that saturation?
06The verse pairs sādhu and pāpa inside a list of relational categories (friend, foe, kin) — is the Gītā collapsing social and moral difference under one rubric, or are the two halves of the verse making distinct points?
07Every bhāṣya preserves the word viśiṣyate ('is distinguished / excels') — if sama-buddhi dissolves all distinctions, what is the status of the distinction that identifies the sama-buddhi yogī as superior?

Vyavahāra · try it in your life

Advaita

In a conflict between two colleagues, refuse to build a private mental ledger of who has helped or harmed you; the mind's disengagement from that accounting (avyāpṛta-buddhi) is the practice — not forced warmth, but the conscious dropping of the grievance-score.

Viśiṣṭādvaita

Before a difficult conversation, anchor yourself in your single telos — the relationship with Bhagavān — and notice how both the ally who will help you and the critic who will not become equally incidental; proceed without expecting either to fulfil or obstruct that telos.

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Dvaita

When a colleague's behaviour seems either admirable or contemptible, remind yourself that their virtue or vice is Īśvara's dispensation through their particular antaḥkaraṇa — then adjust your response according to what dharma requires in this situation, not according to what your preference demands.

Śuddhādvaita

Cultivate sama-buddhi not by practising detachment toward difficult people but by deepening your direct experience (vijñāna) of Kṛṣṇa's presence; as that saturation grows, the field of friend and foe loses its power to disturb without any separate effort to become equanimous.

Bhakti

Examine whether your internal response to a person is distorted by rāga (you need them) or dveṣa (you resent them); Śrīdhara's definition of viśiṣṭa is the mind empty of both distortions — use each interaction as a diagnostic of which distortion is active, then gently dismantle it.

Advaita-Bhakti

Distinguish clearly between the person who wrongs you from natural cruelty (Madhusūdana's ari — svabhāva-krauryeṇa) and the person who wrongs you in proportion to a wrong you first did them (dveṣya); hold equal interior regard toward both while allowing your outer response to track the actual moral difference — this is the integration of jñāna and bhakti in daily ethics.

Adhiṣṭhāna · substrate signature

substratev2.6-frozen

parserByT5-Sanskrit-multitask (Nehrdich/Hellwig/Keutzer EMNLP 2024)

mūlaBelvalkar critical edition (BORI 1947), via Ambuda multi-witness

show all metadata

weightsa=1 · b=0.01 · e_v=0.005 · z=0.2 · h=0 · th=0.01

anchorfit on Ramsukhdas's Sādhak Sañjīvanī (1980), frozen across the eight-commentator panel; cross-validated R@4 = 71.6% on Śaṅkara

extracted2026-04-21

methodPaper 1, Section II.B

↓ view raw per-verse object (JSON)↗ per-verse-object schema ↗ substrate code (MIT) + data (CC-BY 4.0)

The schema generalizes to any bounded-polysemy corpus with discrete primary text units, attested witness traditions, identifiable schools, and formal substrate. Port the per-verse object; refit weights on a domain-appropriate Layer-3 anchor; ship.

Bhagavad Gītā Chapter 6, Verse 9: Krishna to Arjuna — Dhyāna-Yoga