For Eternal Beginners
उदाराः सर्व एवैते ज्ञानी तु आत्मैव मे मतम् ।
आस्थितः स हि युक्तात्मा मामेव अनुत्तमाम् गतिम् ॥ १८ ॥
udArAH sarva evaite jJAnI tu Atmaiva me matam |
AsthitaH sa hi yuktAtmA mAmeva anuttamAm gatim || 18 ||
एते सर्वे [ete sarve] All of these people उदाराः एव [udArAH eva] are definitely generous. मे मतम् तु [me matam tu] However, I assert that ज्ञानी [jJAnI] the
one who knows आत्मैव [Atmaiva] is like Myself. सः युक्तात्मा [saH yuktAtmA] His thoughts are always with Me. माम् एव आस्थितः [mAm eva AsthitaH] He believes and takes refuge in Me alone, अनुत्तमाम् गतिम् [anuttamAm gatim] the supreme goal.
All four categories of people are generous in the sense that they worship Me alone. They are very charitable. Whoever takes even a small thing from Me, they are the ones who have given Me everything. Even among them, I consider the one who knows as Myself - I assume a form in which I (the Lord of the universe) owe affectionate service to him.
Why is this so? That is because he has sought refuge in Me, considering Me alone as the ultimate achievement, knowing that without Me, his Self does not have any basis of existence.
Hence, there is no possibility for Me to exist without him either. In this way, he is indeed My own self.