समं सर्वेषु भूतेषु तिष्ठन्तं परमेश्वरम् । विनश्यत्स्वविनश्यन्तं यः पश्यति स पश्यति ॥
samaṃ sarveṣu bhūteṣu tiṣṭhantaṃ parameśvaram | vinaśyatsvavanaśyantaṃ yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati ||
Translation
One who sees the Supreme Lord abiding equally in all beings — the Imperishable in the perishable — that person truly sees.
Interpretation
Sa pashyati — 'that person truly sees.' This is the criterion of genuine vision: seeing the Supreme Lord (Parameshvara — the supreme controller, Brahman) abiding equally (samam — in the same way, without distinction) in all beings (sarvesu bhuteshu), seeing the imperishable (avinashyantam) within the perishable (vinashyatsu). This is seeing the eternal within the temporal, the divine within the ordinary, the Self within the body. This vision is not a belief but a direct perception — it transforms the one who has it.