Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, Verse 18

Chapter 7 – Jnana Vijnana Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

उदाराः सर्व एवैते ज्ञानी त्वात्मैव मे मतम् ।
आस्थितः स हि युक्तात्मा मामेवानुत्तमां गतिम् ॥

Transliteration

udārāḥ sarva evaite jñānī tvātmaiva me matam .
āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā māmevānuttamāṃ gatim ॥

Meaning

All of these are indeed noble, but the wise one I regard as My very Self; for, with his mind united, he is established in Me alone as the supreme goal.

Word meanings

उदाराः – noble, generous
सर्वे – all
एव – indeed
एते – these
ज्ञानी – the wise one
तु – but
आत्मा – Self
मे – My
मतम् – view, opinion
आस्थितः – established
सः – he
हि – for
युक्तात्मा – with a united mind
माम् – Me
अनुत्तमाम् – unsurpassed, supreme
गतिम् – goal

Anvaya (word order)

एते सर्वे एव उदाराः; ज्ञानी तु आत्मा एव (इति) मे मतम्; हि सः युक्तात्मा माम् एव अनुत्तमां गतिम् आस्थितः ।

Explanation

Hearing the special praise of the wise one in the previous verse, someone might think the other three kinds of devotees are inferior. Krishna immediately removes this misunderstanding: udarah sarva evaite — all of these are noble. Udara means lofty, generous, great. Whoever has opened his heart toward God is noble. Shankara says they are all noble because they are all dear to Me; no devotee is displeasing to Me.

Jnani tv atmaiva me matam — but the wise one is My very Self; this is My view. It is a profound statement. Shankara takes it in the non-dual sense: the wise one is not different from the Lord but is His very nature. Ramanuja interprets it to mean that the wise one is to the Lord as the soul is to the body — just as a body cannot live without its soul, the Lord does not wish to be without such a devotee; His own being, as it were, comes to depend on him.

The reason is given: asthitah sa hi yuktatma mam evanuttamam gatim — that wise one, his mind united, abides in Me alone as the supreme goal. For him the Lord is the highest aim; there is nothing beyond. Other devotees treat God as a means to some other end — relief from sorrow, knowledge or wealth; for the wise one God Himself is the end.

The verse shows both the generosity and the depth of devotion: the Lord accepts every devotee, yet selfless love joined with wisdom is nearest to His heart.

Context

Verse 7.17 declared the wise one supreme and dear to the Lord. Here Krishna calls all devotees noble and the wise one His very Self. In the next verse (7.19) He says that such a wise one is attained after many births and is very rare.

Life lesson

Do not belittle anyone's reason for faith; every sincere prayer is precious. But for yourself, aim at a place where God is not a means but the end itself — where you want nothing from Him but Him alone.

Key terms

Udara: noble, lofty, generous
Atmaiva: the very Self
Yuktatma: one whose mind is united with the Lord
Anuttama gati: the supreme goal beyond which there is none