Gita 9.29
Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga
समोऽहं सर्वभूतेषु न मे द्वेष्योऽस्ति न प्रियः । ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम् ॥२९॥
samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpy aham
In essence: God plays no favorites - yet love creates a sacred reciprocity where the devotee dwells in the Divine and the Divine dwells in the devotee.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "Krishna says He is equal to all, yet devotees are special to Him. Isn't that a contradiction? How can God be impartial and have favorites at the same time?"
Guru: "Tell me - when the sun shines, does it favor some plants over others?"
Sadhak: "No, the sun shines on everything equally."
Guru: "Yet why do some plants flourish while others in the same garden wither?"
Sadhak: "Because... some turn toward the light, open their leaves. Others are blocked by shade or face away."
Guru: "Exactly. Has the sun shown any partiality?"
Sadhak: "No, the difference is in the plant's receptivity. Oh - so God's grace is always equally available, but devotion opens us to receive it?"
Guru: "Now you're seeing. Krishna doesn't 'choose' to love devotees more - He loves all infinitely. But devotion is the positioning of the soul toward that love. When you turn toward God, you don't change His love; you change your capacity to experience it. The relationship becomes intimate not because God moved, but because you did."
Sadhak: "But then why does He say devotees are 'in Him' and He is 'in them'? That sounds like special treatment."
Guru: "Are they in Him because He pulled them in? Or because they entered through their own love? And is He in them because He chose to enter? Or because they created space for Him by emptying themselves of ego? The mutual indwelling is the natural result of devotion, not divine favoritism. A mother loves all her children, but the child who runs to embrace her experiences her love more fully. Has the mother's love changed? Or only the child's experience of it?"
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🌅 Daily Practice
Upon waking, before getting out of bed, spend 3 minutes recognizing divine presence: 'The same God who dwells in saints dwells in me. The same God who hears the prayers of sages hears mine. I am not distant from the Divine - I simply haven't been looking.' Set an intention to 'turn toward' God throughout the day, knowing His love requires only your attention to be experienced.
Practice 'equality vision with devotion': When you encounter anyone today - colleague, stranger, someone you dislike - silently acknowledge: 'The Divine is equally present in them.' Then offer a moment of inner devotion, remembering that your own relationship with God deepens as you recognize His presence everywhere. Let ordinary interactions become opportunities to witness the impartial presence of the Divine.
Before sleep, do the 'mutual indwelling' meditation: Breathe in and feel yourself entering into God's presence. Breathe out and feel God's presence filling you. With each breath, let the boundaries soften: 'I in You, You in me.' Rest in this reciprocal intimacy for 5 minutes, then sleep knowing the Divine has never been separate from you - only your awareness needed to recognize it.