Path of Devotion

Sanskrit original	Transliteration	Translation
[7.16-18] चतुर्विद्या भजन्ते मम जनः सुकृतिनो अर्जुन | आर्तो जिज्ञासु अर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ ||	caturvidhā bhajante māṁ janāḥ sukṛtino'rjuna, ārto jijñāsurarthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha	Arjuna, ethical people approach Me in four guises-- the distressed, the wealth seeker, the knowledge seeker, and the wise man.
तेषां ज्ञानी नित्ययुक्त एकभक्तिर्विशिष्यते। प्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं स च मम प्रियः ||	teṣāṁ jñānī nitya yukta ekabhaktirviśiṣyate, priyo hi jñānino'tyarthamahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ	Of these, the wise man, who is constantly and consciously focused on the Divine, is the best. He loves Me deeply, and is special to me.
उदाराः सर्व एवैते ज्ञानी त्वात्मैव मे मतम्। आस्थितः स हि युक्तात्मा मामेवानुत्तमां गतिम् ||	udārāḥ sarva evaite jñānī tvātmaiva me matam, āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā māmevānuttamāṁ gatim	Indeed, all these are noble. But, in My opinion, the wise man is My own Self, for he firmly regards Me alone as his Supreme Destination.

Sanskrit original	Transliteration	Translation
[7.19] बहूनाम् जन्मनामन्ते ज्ञानवान् मां प्रपद्यते | वासुदेव सर्वमिति स महात्मा सुदुरलभः ||	bahunAm janmanAm ante jn^Anavan mAm prapadyate | vAsudeva sarvam iti sa mahAtma su-durlabhaH ||	At the end of many births, the wise man surrenders to Me, [realizing] that God is All. Such a great soul is quite rare.

Sanskrit original	Transliteration	Translation
[7.20-25] कामैस्तैस्तैर्हृतज्ञानाः प्रपद्यन्तेऽन्यदेवताः । तं तं नियममास्थाय प्रकृत्या नियताः स्वया ॥	kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante 'nya devatāḥ | taṁ taṁ niyamam āsthāya prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā ||	People whose thinking has been distorted by various desires, prompted by their own nature, resort to other deities, adopting corresponding rituals.
यो यो यां यां तनुं भक्तः श्रद्धयार्चितुमिच्छति । तस्य तस्याचलां श्रद्धां तामेव विदधाम्यहम् ॥	yo yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ śraddhayārcitum icchati | tasya tasyāchalāṁ śraddhāṁ tāmeva vidadhāmy aham ||	Whatever celestial form such a devotee wishes to worship with reverence, I stabilize his faith in that very form.
स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते । लभते च ततः कामान्मयैवः विहितान्हितान् ॥	sa tayā śraddhayā yuktas tasyārādhanam īhate | labhate ca tataḥ kāmān mayaivaḥ vihitān hi tān ||	Endowed with that faith, he worships that form (or deity), and by the force of that faith obtains the fulfilment of his desires, as framed by Myself.
अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम् । देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि ॥	antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpamedhasām | devāndevayajo yānti madbhaktā yānti māmapi ||	However, the fruit sought after by these people, who lack proper understanding, is impermanent. These worshippers of the gods attain the gods, whereas my votaries attain Me alone.
अव्यक्तं व्यक्तिमापन्नं मन्यन्ते मामबुद्धयः । परं भावमजानन्तो ममाव्ययमनुत्तमम् ॥	avyaktaṁ vyaktim āpannaṁ manyante mām abuddhayaḥ | paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto mamāvyayam anuttamam ||	These ignorants identify Me, the formless Supreme, with the limitations of form, because they can't grasp the ultimacy of the Unmanifest.
नाहं प्रकाशः सर्वस्य योगमायासमावृतः । मूढोऽयं नाभिजानाति लोको मामजमव्ययम् ॥	nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā samāvṛtaḥ | mūḍho 'yaṁ nābhijānāti loko mām ajam avyayam ||	Enveloped in Yoga-maya, I am not apparent to all. This bewildered world fails to recognize Me, the Beginningless and Eternal.