चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जनाः सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन ।
आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ ।। ७.१६ ।।
तेषां ज्ञानी नित्ययुक्त एकभक्तिर्विशिष्यते ।
प्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं स च मम प्रियः ।। ७.१७ ।।

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ janāḥ su-kṛtino’rjuna |
ārto jijñāsur-arthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha || 7.16 ||
teṣāṁ jñānī nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir-viśiṣyate |
priyo hi jñānino’tyartham-ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ || 7.17||

Audio-BG-7.16

Audio-BG-7.17 (Poor Quality)

Four kinds of virtuous people

Under the compulsions of nature, a seeker may find himself entrenched in this woeful class. But that should neither repel the seeker, nor make him diffident. The enlightening aspect of the enunciation is what Krishna emphasizes next. The possibility to find one’s way up and seek deliverance is sufficiently there in everyone. Thus he describes the nature and kind of seekers in general. This part of the exposition is quite unique. It extends relief, hope and strength to any aggrieved mind:

Four kinds of virtuous people worship Me – the afflicted, the enquiring, the one yearning for some worldly gain, and the Knower.

Of these four, the Knower with his exclusive devotion is unbrokenly united with Me. Such a one verily excels. To the Knower I am indeed dear, and he too is extremely dear to Me.

This should give devotees a clear insight into how they should shape their devotion and seeking.

Everyone is born into the world. And so the worldly needs and pressures are the first concern for everybody. Only when some insurmountable trouble or torment afflicts one, he looks to the supra-worldly cause or source, the supreme Lord, for redress. The afflicted thus constitute the first category of devotees any time in the world.

Krishna is not disparaging this type of devotion, but he merely states that turning to the Creator, the Supreme, may be compelled by affliction or distress. The devotional note in those moments will yet be quite wholesome and intense.

The second category consists of the jijnasu, the enquirer. In this case, the pressure of the intelligence is conspicuous and strong. Uddhava and Arjuna are examples in this category. When Krishna advised Uddhava to leave Dwaraka keeping Krishna in heart and looking at the whole creation as Godly, Uddhava found it impossible. It was then that he sought from Krishna a full instruction:

“O Lord, kindly instruct me efficiently, so that my mind will shed all its dross and wrong identifications, and I would be able to take to the lofty path of renunciation as advised by you.” This is a typical instance of the enquiring seeker.

The third category, Krishna states, consists of seekers of specific worldly gains, artharthi. When the heart is set on a certain objective or gain, and to win it, one seeks the Lord’s favour and blessing, he is called an artharthi.

The Knower and the Supreme are dear to each other

Krishna concludes this enunciation by placing the Knower, jnani, as the fourth kind, the best and the excellent. All the others aspire for something or the other. But the Knower has nothing to seek or gain. He has attained what he had wanted to. He finds nothing but the Lord’s Presence, everywhere. He cannot thus think of anything or anyone else for any purpose whatever. As a result, he is freed of all distractions and disruptions. His knowledge makes him one with the Supreme.