7-16

चतुर्विधा भजन्ते माम् जनाः सुकृतिनः अर्जुन ।
आर्तो जिज्ञासुः अर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ ॥ १६ ॥

caturvidhA bhajante mAm janAH sukRtinaH arjuna |
Arto jijJAsuH arthArthI jJAnI ca bharatarSabha || 16 ||

भरतर्षभ अर्जुन [bharatarSabha arjuna] Arjuna, चतुर्विधा [caturvidhA] four types of सुकृतिनः जनाः [sukRtinaH janAH] virtuous people माम् भजन्ते [mAm bhajante] worship Me: आर्तः [ArtaH] The distressed, who want to regain what they lost, जिज्ञासुः [jijJAsuH] those who are curious, अर्थार्थी [arthArthI] those who want to acquire wealth ज्ञानी च [jJAnI ca] and those who know.

We have different objectives and we surrender to the Lord accordingly.

‘Virtuous people’ are those who, by their virtuous deeds, have taken refuge in Me and worship Me alone. Due to differences in their deeds, they are grouped into four categories.

These four categories of virtuous people will be described now. Due to great deeds performed, those described later in the list have distinguished knowledge and are hence special:

Worshippers in the first category are those who have lost their possessions and their fame. They desire to have it back.

The second category has people who desire wealth that they don’t have yet.

The difference between the first and second category is only superficial. Since the objective of both is to gain wealth, they get the same status.

Worshippers in the third category are driven by curiosity. They want to experience the Self, considering that the Self has a form that’s pure knowledge.

Worshippers in the fourth category know the nature of the Self – that it is under the service of the Lord, for His purpose alone - as stated in the Shlokas beginning with Chap7#5: ‘know this other nature of Mine, which is the ultimate one’. They do not stop at merely realizing the nature of the Self as being distinct from the environment. They believe in the Lord Himself being the ultimate goal and strive to reach the Lord.

They are the wise ones ‘who know’.

Know that the Lord is the ultimate purpose. When we know this, we yearn for the Lord Himself. To those of us who know the Lord, it doesn’t make sense to yearn for wealth - since the Lord is the purpose of any enjoyment that comes from it. It also doesn’t make sense to yearn for the bliss of the Self, since He is the purpose of that enjoyment too. We yearn for the Lord for the Lord’s sake.

Those who know this are the ‘ones who know’.