Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7 - Jnana Vignana Yoga - Sloka 16


The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission

Who are they who get drawn to the Lord? They are delineated :-
Four Types of Virtuous Men - 16-19
1 Gita Sloka  every day - Chapter 7 - Jnana Vignana Yoga - Sloka 16

Chatur Vidhah bhajante mam janah sukritinah arjuna I
Artah jigyasuh artharthigyani cha bharata rishabha II sloka 16
चतुर विधाः भजन्ते माम जनाः सुकृतिनः अर्जुन ।
आर्तः जिज्ञासुः अर्थार्थि ज्ञानी च भरत ऋषभ ।। श्लोक १६
Four types of virtuous men worship Me, O Arjuna; the man in distress, the man seeking knowledge, the man seeking wealth and the man imbued with wisdom, O best of the Bharatas.

Distress comes to beings in one form or another and at some time or the other. Avoidance of it is impossible to the embodied. Just as medicine is resorted to, to cure disease, the way of the devoted is to supplicate the Divine for deliverance from distress. When the modesty of Queen Draupadi was at stake in the assembly of the Kauravas, she piteously sought the protection Krishna and his help did come to save he from the situation. The lives of many a devotee bear testimony to the fact that the Lord comes to the rescue of the pious in distress. 
The man seeking knowledge is here designated as jignasu. It is not given to all to become seekers of God-knowledge. The rare few who seek, obtaining it unmistakably. The Lord sees to it that the spiritual thirst of the devotee never goes unslaked. 
The man seeking wealth usually works for it and that is the proper way. One type of devotee, work for it, praying to the Lord at the same time for the easy acquisition of wealth. Another type of devotee have no time to toil for wealth; at the same time they are in need of it for their holy undertakings. They ardently appeal to the Lord and he sends them the required resources. 
The man imbued with wisdom is here classified as jnani,  the one who has realised the truth.
Among the people who believe in God, these are the four types who seek to contact him, each according to his understanding and attainments. all the four groups are virtuous because of their right understanding  and right doings.

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