Verse 7.16
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जनाः सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन | आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ ||१६||
Transliteration (IAST)
caturvidhā bhajante māṁ janāḥ sukṛtino'rjuna | ārto jijñāsurarthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha ||16||
Word-by-Word Meanings
चतुर्विधाः-four kinds
भजन्ते-worship
सुकृतिनः-the virtuous
आर्तः-the distressed
जिज्ञासुः-the seeker of knowledge
अर्थार्थी-the seeker of wealth
ज्ञानी-the man of wisdom
Translation
Four kinds of virtuous people worship Me, O Arjuna: the distressed, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the man of wisdom, O best of the Bharatas.
Commentary
This celebrated classification of devotees shows that all sincere worship is accepted, regardless of motive. The arta seeks relief from suffering, the jijnasu seeks understanding, the artharthi seeks prosperity, and the jnani seeks God for God's sake. All are called 'sukritinah' (virtuous) because turning to God is itself meritorious.
Themes
bhaktijnana