|| 9.13 ||
महात्मानस्तु मां पार्थ दैवीं प्रकृतिमाश्रिताः। भजन्त्यनन्यमनसो ज्ञात्वा भूतादिमव्ययम्।।
mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ bhajanty ananya-manaso jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam
Word by Word
mahā-ātmānaḥ (the great souls) tu (but) mām (Me) pārtha (O son of Pṛthā) daivīm (divine) prakṛtim (nature) āśritāḥ (having taken shelter of) bhajanti (render service) ananya-manasaḥ (without deviation of the mind) jñātvā (knowing) bhūta (of creation) ādim (the origin) avyayam (inexhaustible)
Translation
O son of Prith, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.
Meaning
Kṛṣṇa contrasts the foolish with the ‘mahātmānas’, the great souls. These souls are not deluded because they have taken shelter in the ‘daivīṁ prakṛtim’, the divine nature or internal energy of the Lord. They are under the protection of God’s own kindness.
They worship Kṛṣṇa with ‘ananya-manaso’, an undivided and unwavering mind. Why? Because they know for certain that He is the ‘bhūtādim avyayam’—the inexhaustible origin of all creation. They don’t waste their time on shadows because they have found the Sun.
A ‘Mahātmā’ is not just a title; it is a state of being. It refers to someone whose heart has expanded enough to include the Divine. Such a person is always peaceful and focused, because they are anchored in the eternal Source. Kṛṣṇa is telling Arjuna that this is the path of true greatness: recognizing our smallness in relation to His vastness and taking shelter there.