Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 7, Verse 16
चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जनाः सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन।
आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ।।
आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ।।
catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ janāḥ sukṛtino ’rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha
also searched as "chaturvidha bhajante mam janah sukritino arjuna"
Translation
Four types of men of good deeds worship Me, O Arjuna: the distressed, the seekers of knowledge, the seekers of wealth, and the men of knowledge.
Vāṇi's rendering
Four kinds of good people turn to me: the anguished, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of gain, the wise.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| चतुर्विधाःcatur-vidhā | of four kinds, in four types |
| भजन्तेbhajante | worship, turn to, hold close |
| माम्māṁ | me |
| जनाःjanāḥ | people |
| सुकृतिनःsukṛtinaḥ | good-doers, those with good deeds behind them (sandhi: sukṛtino before arjuna) |
| अर्जुनarjuna | O Arjuna |
| आर्तःārtaḥ | the anguished, the one in pain (sandhi: ārto before jijñāsuḥ) |
| जिज्ञासुःjijñāsuḥ | the one who wants to know (sandhi: jijñāsur before arthārthī) |
| अर्थार्थीartha-arthī | the one who seeks gain, wanting wealth or advantage |
| ज्ञानीjñānī | the one who knows, the wise |
| चca | and |
| भरतर्षभbharata-ṛṣabha | O bull among the Bharatas |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7 Verse 16 mean?
Krishna names four kinds of people who turn to him: the one in pain, the one who wants to understand, the one who wants something gained, and the one who knows. All four he calls good. The verse widens the door instead of narrowing it — need is a legitimate way in.
What is the meaning of chaturvidha bhajante mam janah sukritino arjuna?
Four kinds of good people hold me close, Arjuna. Sukṛtinaḥ is the word that surprises — not the pure, not the qualified, simply those with some good behind them. Krishna is not sorting applicants. He is describing the many gates through which anyone actually walks toward him.
Is it wrong to pray to Krishna only when I am suffering?
The ārta, the anguished one, is listed first. Krishna does not treat pain-driven turning as second-rate devotion; he treats it as devotion. Suffering broke your self-sufficiency, and in that break you looked up. Begin there without apology. What began in fear does not have to stay there.
Why does Krishna include the seeker of wealth among good people?
Because the arthārthī has still turned toward him rather than away. Wanting gain is not condemned — it is simply an early stage of asking. Krishna would rather you come asking for the wrong thing than not come at all. Motives mature once the relationship starts.
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Commentary
Krishna counts, and the count is generous. The anguished one who turns to him only because everything has broken — he is on the list. So is the one who wants something and asks for it. Neither is scolded, neither is ranked out. All four are called sukṛtinaḥ, good people; the crying and the calculating stand beside the wise. Most of us arrive by the first door or the third. Krishna does not ask you to pretend otherwise, or to wait until your motive is clean before you turn. Turn as you are. The reason you came matters less than the direction you faced.