Verse 7.17

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 7.17:

तेषां ज्ञानी नित्य-युक्त एक-भक्तिर् विशिष्यते ।
प्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थम् अहं स च मम प्रियः ॥ १७ ॥

teṣāṃ jñānī nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir viśiṣyate |
priyo hi jñānino'tyartham ahaṃ sa ca mama priyaḥ || 17 ||

teṣām–among these; jñānī–the man in knowledge; nitya-yuktaḥ–is always connected to Me; eka-bhaktiḥ–and exclusively attracted to Me; viśiṣyate–is distinguished; priyaḥ–dear; hi–certainly; jñāninaḥ–to the jñānī; ati-artham–exceedingly; aham–I; saḥ–he; ca–and; mama–to Me; priyaḥ–dear.

The jñānī, My exclusive devotee who is eternally and exclusively attached to Me, is the best of these, because I am very dear to him and he is very dear to Me.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

“Who is the best of the four types of devotees who are eligible to perform bhakti?” In answer, Śrī Bhagavān speaks this verse beginning with teṣām. “Those jñānīs who are always united with Me are the best of the four. By the practice of jñāna, their thoughts are completely under control and thus their minds remain one-pointed. The other three types (ārta and so on) are not like this.” Arjuna then asks, “Do all jñānīs worship You out of fear that they may fail in their endeavour to attain jñāna?” In response, Bhagavān says eka-bhakti. Eka means ‘prominent’. This means, “Those jñānīs in whom bhakti is prominent (pradhānī-bhūtā) perform bhajana of Me, unlike other jñānīs in whom jñāna is prominent. Those who are attached to bhakti alone are bhakti-eka, and they are jñānīs in name only.

“I, in My beautiful Śyāmasundara form, am very dear to the jñānīs. In the states of both practice and perfection, they are unable to give up their attachment to this form. Also, to the degree that they surrender to Me–ye yathā māṃ prapadyante (Gītā 4.11)–they are dear to Me.”

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura quotes Kṛṣṇa as saying, “When the distressed, the inquisitive, the seekers of wealth and the jñānīs become free from impurities, they all become My devoted followers. Among them, the jñānīs attain pure jñāna, having given up the impurity of jñāna, or the desire for salvation. They then become endowed with bhakti-yoga and attain superiority over the other three types of devotees. This means that although the process of karma cleanses the living entity, who is naturally conscious, of all impurities, the living entity’s svarūpa is not realized to the extent that it is revealed through jñāna-yoga. Ultimately, by associating submissively with devotees, everyone realizes their svarūpa. During the sādhana stage, only the jñānī-bhaktas are specifically endowed with one-pointed, pure devotion, and they are superior to the other three types of eligible persons described above. They are My unalloyed servants. Thus I am very dear to them and they are also very dear to Me.” Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī is such a personality. Previously, he was an impersonal brahma-jñānī, but in the association of Śrī Vyāsadeva, he realized bhagavat-jñāna (prema-bhakti). During the sādhana stage, those devotees who have attained pure knowledge serve Kṛṣṇa in a way that is also supremely pure, without the slightest scent of materialism.