Verse 7.17

Verse 7.17: “Amongst these, the man of knowledge who shows constant application and has singleness of devotion, is one that excels; for, of the man of knowledge I am exceedingly beloved, and he too is beloved of me. (110)

Commentary called Jnaneshwari by Jnaneshwar:

The sick Soul in sorrow worships Me for securing relief from distress, the one eager to know does so out of longing to know; the third worships Me with desire to secure objective good; while the fourth has no desire whatever to satisfy, and therefore, he alone, the Man of knowledge—is My real devotee, since with the light of that knowledge, he dispels all darkness due to distinction, and then he is merged with My divine essence and in that way he abides as My devotee also. A crystal momentarily appears to the ordinary eye as water itself (on account of the motion of water running over it); even so is the man of realized vision and the wondrous beauty is beyond words. Let the wind be still, and it is one with sky. Even so is the man of knowledge once he is merged in My divine essence, it is vain talk to say that he is My devotee. The wind is naturally one with the essence of the sky, unless it is moved and made to blow: otherwise both these are one and the same thing. In that way, the man of knowledge while performing actions through his body-form (organs) appears as my devotee, yet he has already become one with me through the light of knowledge that shines in him, and he realizes that “I am his Soul,” and on My part, I hold him as My very soul through My all-enveloping love. How could separate dwelling in a body make him other than my Supreme spirit, when his acts in this life emanate from this highest life of Spirit beyond the limited life of his finitude.