Devanagari
उदारा: सर्व एवैते ज्ञानी त्वात्मैव मे मतम् ।
आस्थित: स हि युक्तात्मा मामेवानुत्तमां गतिम् ॥ १८ ॥
Verse text
udārāḥ sarva evaite
jṣānī tv ātmaiva me matam
āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā
mām evānuttamāṁ gatim
Synonyms
udārāḥ
—
magnanimous
;
sarve
—
all
;
eva
—
certainly
;
ete
—
these
;
jṣānī
—
one who is in knowledge
;
tu
—
but
;
ātmā eva
—
just like Myself
;
me
—
My
;
matam
—
opinion
;
āsthitaḥ
—
situated
;
saḥ
—
he
;
hi
—
certainly
;
yukta-ātmā
—
engaged in devotional service
;
mām
—
in Me
;
eva
—
certainly
;
anuttamām
—
the highest
;
gatim
—
destination.
Translation
All these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but he who is situated in knowledge of Me I consider to be just like My own self. Being engaged in My transcendental service, he is sure to attain Me, the highest and most perfect goal.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
18. They are all exalted, but the jṣānī is My soul, because he is firmly convinced that I alone am the highest goal. That is My opinion.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
18. They are all exalted, but the jṣānī is My soul, because he remains firmly fixed in devotion to Me, taking Me as the highest goal. That is My opinion.
Purport
It is not that devotees who are less complete in knowledge are not dear to the Lord. The Lord says that all are magnanimous because anyone who comes to the Lord for any purpose is called a mahātmā, or great soul. The devotees who want some benefit out of devotional service are accepted by the Lord because there is an exchange of affection. Out of affection they ask the Lord for some material benefit, and when they get it they become so satisfied that they also advance in devotional service. But the devotee in full knowledge is considered to be very dear to the Lord because his only purpose is to serve the Supreme Lord with love and devotion. Such a devotee cannot live a second without contacting or serving the Supreme Lord. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is very fond of His devotee and cannot be separated from him.
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (9.4.68) , the Lord says:
sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham mad-anyat te na jānanti nāhaṁ tebhyo manāg api
“The devotees are always in My heart, and I am always in the hearts of the devotees. The devotee does not know anything beyond Me, and I also cannot forget the devotee. There is a very intimate relationship between Me and the pure devotees. Pure devotees in full knowledge are never out of spiritual touch, and therefore they are very much dear to Me.”
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
“Then, that means that the other three are not dear to You?”
No, they are all dear to Me. Those who worship Me, accepting objects they have desired, but which I wanted to give them anyway, are certainly dear to Me, who have affection for My devotees. This is because I give generously to them. But the jṣānī is Myself. He worships Me and does not desire anything at all from Me, neither Svarga nor mokṣa. Thus I am dependent on him: he is My soul. This is My opinion. This is because he is firmly convinced (asthitaḥ) that I alone in the form of Syāmasundara, not My impersonal aspect as brahma-nirvāṇa, am the highest goal (anuttamāṁ gatim) to be attained. The jṣānī, who has a predominance of bhakti and no material desires, is considered by the affectionate Lord as His own self. But the kevalā bhakta, the pure devotee, is considered by the Lord to be dearer than His very self.
na tathā me priyatama ātma-yonir na śaṅkaraḥ
na ca saṅkarṣaṇo na śrīr naivātmā ca yathā bhavān
My dear Uddhava, neither Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa, the goddess of fortune nor indeed My own self are as dear to Me as you are.
Surrender Unto Me
Krsna is affectionate to all of them. But Krsna is glorifying specially the jnani who comes to Him, not desiring anything except being situated in Krsna's lotus feet.
Viswanatha C.Thakura comments: 'But the jnani is most dear. Krsna says: he is like My own body or Myself. He is more dear to Me than My own body. He is even more dear than Siva, Balarama, Pradyumna or Rukminidevi. But although this pure devotee is as dear to Me as My own Self, My prema‑bhakta devotee is more dear to Me then My own Self."
Next question is: how long does it take to such a jnani before he attains 'prema'?