CH 7, Verse 17

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Chapter 7

Verse 17

 

Teshhaa.n jnaanee nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir vishishhyate

/

priyo hi jnaanino'tyartham aham sa cha mama priyah //

 

Of these, the wise man, ever steadfast and exclusively

devoted, excels; for, I am exceedingly dear to him and

he is dear to Me.

 

LESSONS FROM BHAGAVAD GITA – 73

As taught by Parama Pujya Sri Swamiji

Compiled by: Swami Dattananda

Bhaktimala, November 1999

 

The Lord has classified His devotees into four. First

is the sick man in distress, the second is one who is

eager to know the Truth, the third is he who is a

seeker after wealth and the fourth is the man of

wisdom.

 

Although the devotee belonging to the first category,

the man in distress has chosen to worship the Lord

only for redress of his grievances, slowly he will be

inclined to lead a life fully devoted to God. The

devotee belonging to the second category is a

Jijnaasuí, who has a curiosity to know the reality of

the Supreme Godhead. He is a seeker after Truth. Out

of sheer curiosity or eagerness to know the Reality,

he continues the pursuit wholeheartedly. In course of

time, he will also be inclined to lead a life fully

devoted to God.

 

The third is the Artharthií, the one who seeks to

enjoy worldly pleasures. He is full of desires to

possess wealth, progeny, social status etc. His

desires are so strong that he becomes an ardent

devotee of the Lord with the purpose of having them

fulfilled. Slowly, his faith in the Lord increases as

a result of the fulfillment of his desires and he also

becomes more and more devoted to the Lord.

 

The fourth one is the man of wisdom. He does not want

material possessions or material knowledge. His

devotion has not arisen out of sorrow, curiosity or

desire to enjoy material pleasures. He may have some

agonies or sorrows, but they do not have any power to

upset him, because his mind is fully immersed in the

thought of God. Such a devotee is a Jnani, a man of

wisdom. Realization of God, the Supreme Self, is his

goal. He spends all his time in reflection and

meditation on the Self.

 

"Of these, the wise man, ever steadfast and

exclusively devoted, excels; for, I am exceedingly

dear to him and he is dear to Me" (Chapter 7, Verse

17).

 

The distressed devotee worships the Lord for getting

some relief from his agonies. The other one who is

eager to know the highest Reality does so out of

longing to know. The third one worships the Lord to

secure some material object or pleasure. But the

fourth has no desire whatsoever to satisfy and

therefore he is a man of wisdom. (Jnani)

 

The wise man is ever steadfast (Nitya Yukta) and

exclusively devoted to the Lord. His devotion to the

Lord is so ardent that he does not have any interest

in any partial godhead or cult except in the Lord.

This type of devotion is called Eka Bhaktee. He does

not want anything from the Lord, not even mitigation

of his sufferings, and not even knowledge or

enlightenment. As he loves the Lord, he asks for the

Lord alone and not anything from the Lord or through

the Lord. So he excels or surpasses all others. For

such a wise man, the Lord is exceedingly beloved and

he too is beloved of the Lord.

 

 

 

 

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