106 _—‘Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge
gita says that he is a learned man who can see
everything on an equal level.
vid ya-vinaya-sampanne
brahmane gavi hastini
Suni caiva svapake ca
panditah sama-darsinah
“The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees
with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a
cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater (outcaste).”
(Bg. 5.18)

In India, according to Vedic civilization, a
brahmana who is learned is considered to be the top-
most man in human society. The pandita, who is
learned and gentle, sees such a brahmana on the
same level with a dog or an outcaste who eats dogs.
In other words, he sees no distinctions between the
highest and the lowest. Is this to say that being a
learned brahmana is no better than being a dog? No,
that is not so. But the pandita sees them as the sanie
because he does not see the skin but the spirit. One
who has learned the art of seeing the same spirit
soul within every living being is considered to be a
pandita, for in actuality every living being is a
spiritual spark, part and parcel of the complete
spirit whole. The spiritual spark is the same in all,
but it is covered by different dresses. An honored
man may come in a very shabby dress, but this does
not mean thai he should be dishonored. In Bhagavad-
gita these material bodies are likened unto dresses
which are worn by the spirit soul.
