Chapter 7 Shloka 16

चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जना: सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन।

आर्त्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ।।१६।।

O Arjuna! Four types of devotees,

performing noble deeds, worship Me:

the Arth Arthi, the Aarat,

the Jigyasu and the Gyani.

Chapter 7 Shloka 16

चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जना: सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन।

आर्त्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ।।१६।।

The Lord now defines the four types of devotees who worship Him:

O Arjuna! Four types of devotees, performing noble deeds, worship Me: the Arth Arthi, the Aarat, the Jigyasu and the Gyani.

Arth Arthi (अर्थ अर्थी)

1. Those desirous of fulfilment of gross desires;

2. Those who crave sense objects;

3. Those who seek self establishment;

4. Those who take the Lord’s Name in order to fulfil some personal task.

Those who perform deeds with a selfish motive are classified as Arth Arthi. Such people perform even meritorious deeds:

a) with a selfish motive;

b) to make a name for themselves;

c) to fulfil some craving of their own.

They worship the Lord with desire fulfilment as their principal objective. They glorify the Lord’s Name for mental peace.

Aarat (आर्त)

1. The sorrowful are known as Aarat.

2. Those suffering the tyranny of others are known as Aarat.

3. Those burdened by distress are classified as Aarat.

4. Those enmeshed in great adversity are Aarat.

5. Those who are overtaken by sorrow and pain are known as Aarat.

These people worship the Lord and perform good deeds in order to save themselves from adversity and sorrow.

Jigyasu (जिज्ञासु)

1. They worship the Lord with the sole objective of knowing the Truth.

2. They study the Scriptures assiduously in order to become great scholars.

3. They ask several questions in their search for the Truth.

After intensive research they are successful in eliciting new and subtle truths. However, all their endeavours are only to impress the world.

The Gyani Bhakta (ज्ञानी भक्त)

1. Such a bhakta or devotee employs his knowledge in his daily life.

2. He wishes to make his life an embodiment of that knowledge.

3. He wishes to translate the Essence of Truth into life.

4. He seeks knowledge only to ensure he does not become a slur on the Lord’s Divine Name.

5. He seeks knowledge only to enable him to obey the Lord’s commandments.

6. He only seeks to offer himself to His Lord.

7. He seeks nothing from the Lord on account of the body.

8. He endeavours only to eradicate the ‘I’ – a defilement.

9. He performs selfless deeds and worships the Lord selflessly.

10. His knowledge, too, is selfless.

Little one, though these four types of devotees all perform elevated and meritorious deeds, their basic objectives are very different.

These days, most worshippers belong to the class of Arth Arthis. Even those who possess great knowledge, can at the most be classified as Jigyasus. Even some of the venerated sadhus of the present times are engrossed in self establishment, with the gunas of rajas and tamas predominating. The Gyani Bhakta is extremely difficult to find. Such a one seeks merely to surrender himself at the feet of his Divine Lord.