Srimad Bhagavad Gita -Ramanujacharya 240

Srimad Bhagavad Gita -Ramanujacharya

Chapter-7 Adhyātma Yogaḥ

catur-vidhā bhajante māṃ janāḥ sukṛtino’rjuna | ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha || 16 || 16. Four types of benefactors worship Me, O Arjuna (Bull of the Bharatas). These are the distressed, the seekers after knowledge, the ambitious, and the wise. Commentary ‘Benefactors’ — people of good deeds, are those who have meritorious Karmas to their credit, and who take refuge and worship Krishna alone. They too are divided into four categories according to the degree of their good deeds, each subsequent type being better than the preceding, because of the [increasing] positivity of their good deeds and their knowledge. The distressed — are those who have lost status and prosperity, and who wish to regain them. The ambitious — are those who aspire for prosperity which they have never had. Between them the difference is only nominal, as both of them seek prosperity alone. The seekers after knowledge — are those one who wish to know the real nature of the Self [in its pure state] as an entity different from the Prakṛti. They are called ‘the seekers after knowledge,’ because consciousness alone is the essential nature of the Self. The wise — are those who know that the essential nature of the Self is to find happiness only in the acceptance of being the shesha (dependant) of the Lord, as taught in the verse 7:5. The wise are not satisfied with the knowledge that the Self is different from Material Nature, but desire to attain the Lord — considering that the Lord alone is the highest goal.