Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, Verse 17

English Translation

Of them, the man of Knowledge, endowed with constant steadfastness and one-pointed devotion, excels. For I am very much dear to the man of Knowledge, and he too is dear to Me.

Detailed Commentary

।।7.17।। Among those devotees, the Jnani, meaning the loving devotee, is supreme, because he is perpetually absorbed in Bhagavan. He is attached to none other than Bhagavan. Just as the Gopis, even while performing their duties, remained mindful of Shri Krishna, so too that devotee is always connected with Bhagavan. All his actions remain with Bhagavan. The attraction of that Jnani devotee is solely towards Bhagavan. He has no personal desires. Therefore, he is supreme. As long as there are personal desires among devotees like the Arthaarthi (seeker of wealth), their Eka-bhakti (one-pointed devotion) is not present, meaning there is no pure love for Bhagavan. However, there is an intention to destroy their desires, and upon the annihilation of desires, all of them become lovers of Bhagavan. There, love flows between the two. All four types of devotees remain constantly engaged with Bhagavan, but three of them harbor some desires; for instance, the Arthaarthi desires favorable conditions, the Aarta wishes to remove adversity, and the Jijnasu are seekers of knowledge. The Jnani is a lover, therefore he has no desires and possesses Eka-bhakti. "I am exceedingly dear to the Jnani, and he is dear to Me." I am exceedingly dear to that Jnani devotee. His devotion is solely rooted in My love, therefore he is dear to Me. All beings are dear to Bhagavan; there is no selfishness in Bhagavan's love. Like a mother, Bhagavan cares for everyone, but those devotees who turn towards Bhagavan receive special affection from Him. When a devotee becomes Nishkama (desireless), love fully awakens. Love is infinite and never ends. Connection: In the previous verse, Bhagavan declared the Jnani devotee to be dear, which might suggest that other devotees were not honored. Therefore, Bhagavan says in the next verse—