Chapter 7, Verse 16
चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जनाः सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन | आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ ||७-१६||
caturvidhā bhajante māṃ janāḥ sukṛtino.arjuna . ārto jijñāsurarthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha ||7-16||
Meaning
7.16 Four kinds of virtuous men worship Me, O Arjuna, and they are the distressed, the seekr of knowledge, the seekr of wealth and the wise, O lord of the Bharatas.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna offers a remarkably generous map of devotion. Four kinds of good-hearted people turn to Him: the suffering (arta) who seek relief, the curious (jijñasu) who seek understanding, the needy (artharthi) who seek prosperity, and the wise (jñani) who seek God for His own sake. Strikingly, He calls all four sukritinah — virtuous — even those whose prayers are tangled with personal wants.
This is deeply reassuring. We need not arrive at spirituality already purified. Pain, curiosity, and even material need are valid doorways; the Divine welcomes whoever comes, by whatever motive. What matters is that one turns toward Him at all. Over time, the lower motives are refined; the one who first prayed in distress or for gain may gradually become the jñani who loves God simply for being God.
💡 Key Takeaway
Whatever motive first turns you toward the Divine — pain, curiosity, or need — is a valid and welcomed beginning.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच | मय्यासक्तमनाः पार्थ योगं युञ्जन्मदाश्रयः | असंशयं समग्रं मां यथा ज्ञास्यसि तच्छृणु ||७-१||
śrībhagavānuvāca . mayyāsaktamanāḥ pārtha yogaṃ yuñjanmadāśrayaḥ . asaṃśayaṃ samagraṃ māṃ yathā jñāsyasi tacchṛṇu ||7-1||
7.1 The Blessed Lord said O Arjuna, hear how you shall without doubt know Me fully, with the mind intent on Me, practising Yoga and taking refuge in Me.
मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये | यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ||७-३||
manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścidyatati siddhaye . yatatāmapi siddhānāṃ kaścinmāṃ vetti tattvataḥ ||7-3||
7.3 Among thousands of men, one perchance strives for perfection; even among those successful strivers, only one perchance knows Me in essence.
दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया | मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते ||७-१४||
daivī hyeṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā . māmeva ye prapadyante māyāmetāṃ taranti te ||7-14||
7.14 Verily, this divine illusion of Mine, made up of the (three) alities (of Nature) is difficult to cross over; those who take refuge in Me alone, cross over this illusion.