In plain words
One whose buddhi is equal toward well-wishers, friends, enemies, neutrals, mediators, the hateful, relatives, the righteous and the unrighteous excels.
Word for word
Toward well-wisher, friend, enemy, neutral, mediator, the hateful and kinsman, toward the good and even the wicked, one of even buddhi excels.
सुहृन्मित्रार्युदासीनमध्यस्थद्वेष्यबन्धुषुसाधुष्वपि च पापेषु समबुद्धिर्विशिष्यते
Other commentaries
The commentators
▸Bhagavadgītābhāṣyam
किञ्च —
‘सुहृत्’ इत्यादिश्लोकार्धम् एकं पदम् । सुहृत् इति प्रत्युपकारमनपेक्ष्य उपकर्ता, मित्रं स्नेहवान् , अरिः शत्रुः, उदासीनः न कस्यचित् पक्षं भजते, मध्यस्थः यो विरुद्धयोः उभयोः हितैषी, द्वेष्यः आत्मनः अप्रियः, बन्धुः सम्बन्धी इत्येतेषु साधुषु शास्त्रानुवर्तिषु अपि च पापेषु प्रतिषिद्धकारिषु सर्वेषु एतेषु समबुद्धिः ‘कः किङ्कर्मा’ इत्यव्यापृतबुद्धिरित्यर्थः । विशिष्यते, ‘विमुच्यते’ इति वा पाठान्तरम् । योगारूढानां सर्वेषाम् अयम् उत्तम इत्यर्थः ॥ ९ ॥
In plain words
Further —
This half-verse—‘well-wisher’ and the rest—is really one single thought. A well-wisher helps without expecting anything back. A friend is someone affectionate. An enemy is a foe; neutral means taking nobody's side; a mediator wishes well to both sides of a quarrel; someone to be hated is simply someone you find unpleasant; a kinsman is a relative. Toward all of these—the virtuous who follow the scriptures, and even sinners who do forbidden things—such a person holds an equal mind, never stopping to sort out who is who and what they've done. That mind just isn't caught up in those distinctions. He stands out. (Some texts read ‘he is freed’ instead.) Among everyone established in yoga, he is the very best.
Close to the Sanskrit
And what more —
‘Suhṛt’ and so on—this half-verse is one topic. ‘Suhṛt’ means a benefactor who helps without expecting a favor in return; ‘friend’ means one who has affection; ‘enemy’ means a foe; ‘neutral’ means one who takes no one's side; ‘mediator’ means one who wishes well to both of two opposed parties; ‘one to be hated’ means unloved to oneself; ‘kinsman’ means a relative—among these, among the virtuous who follow scripture and also among sinners who do forbidden things, among all these, one of equal mind—thinking ‘who is of what deed?’—one whose mind is not occupied with such distinctions—that is the meaning. Such a person excels; there is also the variant reading ‘is released.’ Among all those established in yoga, this one is the highest—that is the meaning.