|| 7.16 ||

चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जनाः सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन। आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ।।

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ janāḥ sukṛtino ’rjuna ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

catur-vidhāḥ (four kinds of) bhajante (render services) mām (unto Me) janāḥ (persons) su-kṛtinaḥ (pious) Arjuna (O Arjuna) ārtaḥ (the distressed) jijñāsuḥ (the inquisitive) arthārthī (one who desires profit) jñānī (one who knows things as they are) ca (also) bharata-ṛṣabha (O great one among the descendants of Bharata)

O best among the Bharatas, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me— the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.

On the other hand, Kṛṣṇa lists the four types of pious people (‘su-kṛtinaḥ’) who begin to worship Him. 1) ‘Ārtaḥ’: Those who are in distress or pain. 2) ‘Jijñāsuḥ’: Those who are inquisitive and want to know the truth. 3) ‘Arthārthī’: Those who desire wealth or success. 4) ‘Jñānī’: Those who already have some knowledge of the Absolute. Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He accepts everyone who approaches Him, even if their motive is not perfectly pure. If you come to God because you are suffering or because you want a promotion, He still welcomes you. You are considered ‘pious’ simply because you recognized that He is the one who can help you. These are the different entry points to spiritual life. Some enter through the door of need, some through curiosity, and some through love. The common factor is that they have all turned their face toward Kṛṣṇa. This verse encourages us to reach out to the Divine exactly as we are, knowing that the relationship will eventually purify our motives.
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