Shloka 18
Rāja-Vidyā Rāja-Guhya Yoga (राजविद्या राजगुह्य योग) — The Yoga of Royal Knowledge and Royal Secret
सम्बन्ध-- भगवान्ने ज्ञानी भक्तको सबसे श्रेष्ठ और अत्यन्त प्रिय बतलाया। इसपर यह शंका हो सकती है कि क्या दूसरे भक्त श्रेष्ठ और प्रिय नहीं हैं; इसपर भगवान् कहते हैं-- उदारा: सर्व एवैते ज्ञानी त्वात्मैव मे मतम् आस्थित: स हि युक्तात्मा मामेवानुत्तमां गतिम्,ये सभी उदार हैं, परंतु ज्ञानी तो साक्षात् मेरा स्वरूप ही है*--ऐसा मेरा मत है; क्योंकि वह मद्गत मन-बुद्धिवाला ज्ञानी भक्त अति उत्तम गतिस्वरूप मुझमें ही अच्छी प्रकार स्थित है
udārāḥ sarva evaite jñānī tv ātmaiva me matam | āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā mām evānuttamāṃ gatim ||
The Blessed Lord says: “All these devotees are noble indeed; yet the knower is, in my judgment, none other than my very Self. For that steadfast, disciplined soul—whose mind and understanding are fixed in me—abides well in me alone as the unsurpassed goal.” Ethically, the verse ranks devotion by inner transformation: devotion that culminates in clear knowledge and unwavering integration with the Highest is presented as the most intimate form of love and the highest human attainment.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
All sincere devotees are worthy, but devotion matured into spiritual knowledge (jñāna) is portrayed as the most intimate: the jñānī is said to be ‘my very Self’ because such a person’s mind and intellect rest unwaveringly in the Supreme as the highest goal.
In Kṛṣṇa’s discourse to Arjuna, after distinguishing types of devotees, Kṛṣṇa addresses a possible doubt—whether others are not dear—and affirms that all are noble, while emphasizing the unique closeness of the steadfast knower who abides in Him as the unsurpassed destination.