आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योऽर्जुन । सुखं वा यदि वा दुःखं स योगी परमो मतः ॥
ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṃ paśyati yo'rjuna | sukhaṃ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṃ sa yogī paramo mataḥ ||
Translation
One who sees everywhere, by comparison with the self, equal in pleasure as in pain — that yogi, O Arjuna, is considered the highest.
Interpretation
This is the golden rule of the Gita's ethics: atmaupamyena — by comparison with oneself. Just as you yourself prefer pleasure to pain and happiness to suffering, recognize that all other beings feel the same. From this recognition, the realized yogi treats all with equal care and compassion. This is not detachment but deep empathy grounded in the recognition of universal Self. And this capacity — seeing pleasure and pain of others as one's own — marks the paramah yogi: the supreme yogi.