Chapter 7, Verse 17
तेषां ज्ञानी नित्ययुक्त एकभक्तिर्विशिष्यते | प्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं स च मम प्रियः ||७-१७||
teṣāṃ jñānī nityayukta ekabhaktirviśiṣyate . priyo hi jñānino.atyarthamahaṃ sa ca mama priyaḥ ||7-17||
Meaning
7.17 Of them the wise, ever steadfast and devoted to the One, excels (is the best); for I am exceedingly dear to the wise and he is dear to Me.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Among the four devotees, Krishna singles out the jñani — the wise one who is nitya-yukta (ever united) and eka-bhakti (devoted to the One alone). What distinguishes this devotee is purity of motive: they do not come for relief or gain but love God for God's own sake. Their devotion is single, steady, and unwavering, asking nothing in return.
The verse glows with mutual love. 'I am exceedingly dear to the wise, and he is dear to Me.' This is not a transaction but a relationship of the heart, where the lover and the Beloved delight in one another. The Gita here reveals that the summit of the spiritual path is not cold detachment but the warmest intimacy. The wise are dearest to God precisely because they want nothing from Him but Him.
💡 Key Takeaway
The purest devotion seeks the Divine for nothing but Itself — and there, love flows mutually between the soul and God.
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.
ज्ञानं तेऽहं सविज्ञानमिदं वक्ष्याम्यशेषतः | यज्ज्ञात्वा नेह भूयोऽन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमवशिष्यते ||७-२||
jñānaṃ te.ahaṃ savijñānamidaṃ vakṣyāmyaśeṣataḥ . yajjñātvā neha bhūyo.anyajjñātavyamavaśiṣyate ||7-2||
7.2 I shall declare to thee in full this knowledge combined with realisation, after knowing which nothing more here remains to be known.
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.