Four kinds of virtuous men worship Me, O Arjuna, and they are the distressed, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of wealth and the wise, O lord of the Bharatas.
In simple words
Krishna says: "Four kinds of good people do worship Me, Arjuna: the person in distress, the person seeking knowledge, the person seeking prosperity, and the wise person who already knows the truth."
Word-by-word meanings
चतुर्विधाःfour kindsभजन्तेworshipमाम्Meजनाःpeopleसुकृतिनःvirtuousअर्जुनO Arjunaआर्तःthe distressedजिज्ञासुःthe seeker of knowledgeअर्थार्थीthe seeker of wealthज्ञानीthe wiseचandभरतर्षभO lord of the Bharatas
Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
Swami Sivananda
7.16 चतुर्विधाः four kinds? भजन्ते worship? माम् Me? जनाः people? सुकृतिनः virtuous? अर्जुन O Arjuna? आर्तः the distressed? जिज्ञासुः the seeker of knowledge? अर्थार्थी the seeker of wealth? ज्ञानी the wise? च and? भरतर्षभ O lord of the Bharatas.Commentary The distressed is he who is suffering from a chronic and incurable disease? he whose life is in jeopardy on account of earthake? volcanic eruption? thunder? attack by a dacoit or enemy or tiger? etc. When Draupadi and Gajendra were in great distress they worshipped the Lord. These are the instances of Aarta Bhakti.Jijnasu is the enirer. He is dissatisfied with this world. There is a void in his life. He always feels that sensual pleasure is not the highest form of happiness and there is yet pure eternal bliss unmixed with grief and pain? which is to be found within. Janaka and Uddhava were devotees of this type.Seeker of wealth is he who craves for money? wife? children? position? name and fame. Sugriva? Vibhishana? Upamanyu and Dhruva were all devotees of this type.The wise are the men of knowledge who have attained to Selfillumination. Sukadeva was a JnaniBhakta.Kamsa? Sishupala and Ravana thought of the Lord constantly on account of fear and hatred (VairaBhakti). Hence they are also regarded as devotees.Be devoted to God? whatever be your motive. Devotion will purify the motive in due course.
Swami Chinmayananda
This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.
# BG 7.16
Since the soul is the source of all matter and energy, if action appears to manifest in inert substances, then the impelling source of that action must also be the soul. Every part of a steam engine is made of iron, and yet if it possesses the capacity to pull railway carriages, that capacity must surely originate from something other than iron itself. In precisely the same way, all the capacities that human beings manifest through body, mind, and intellect are made possible only by the consciousness of the soul. Whether one is a yogi or one devoted to worldly pleasures, both must invoke the consciousness of the soul to perform any action. Whether they seek solace during times of suffering and hardship, or desire the enjoyment of sensory pleasures—for all of these, the consciousness of the soul is essential. To invoke the soul for action in a particular state is itself worship or prayer. In the practice of prayer, the devotee surrenders oneself at the feet of the Divine and seeks the grace of the Divine. To understand this, we may take the example of electricity. An electric fan, heater, radio, and such devices cannot perform any action by themselves. When electrical power flows through them, they are able to serve society through their respective functions. This is the invocation of electrical power. It is clear that electricity is necessary for all machines, but which machine to use it for depends upon our will. If running a fan during winter causes us greater suffering, the fault cannot be attributed to electricity, nor can it be called cruel. When consciousness is expressed through a fragmented mind, the soul cannot be blamed for the defects of that mind.
Keeping this truth in mind—that the soul alone is the embodiment of consciousness—the Blessed Lord says here: Whether one is sinful or virtuous, foolish or wise, lazy or active, cowardly or courageous, all worship Me, and I dwell manifest in the hearts of all. All human beings, knowingly or unknowingly, must invoke Me to act through body, mind, or intellect.
In this verse, virtuous devotees are classified into four types:
**(a) The Distressed (Aart):** The common meaning of aart is one afflicted by suffering. The suffering devotee practices devotion to relieve their distress. This refers to ordinary suffering, but there are also those who, despite having all comforts and conveniences in life, experience a kind of inner restlessness. This restlessness is relieved only by attaining the form of the Divine. Such distressed devotees also worship Me.
**(b) The Seeker of Knowledge (Jijnasu):** Those seekers who wish to know Me through the study of scriptures are devotees of knowledge.
**(c) The Seeker of Prosperity (Artharthi):** Those who perform actions while seeking My grace to attain desired results in various fields of endeavor are called seekers of prosperity. The fulfillment of their desires is their goal.
**(d) The Wise One (Jnani):** Different from the above three, the wise devotee is rare—one who desires no fruit and expects nothing from Me. Such a one surrenders oneself entirely to Me. Recognizing My true nature, such a one attains unity with Me.
Among these four types of devotees, who is the supreme?