Four Kinds of People

Chapter 7. Knowledge of the Absolute

TEXT 15

na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah mayayapahrta-jnana asuram bhavam asritah

SYNONYMS

na--not; mam--unto Me; duskrtinah--miscreants; mudhah--foolish;prapadyante--surrender; nara-adhamah--lowest among mankind;mayaya--by the illusory energy; apahrta--stolen by illusion; jnanah--knowledge; asuram--demonic; bhavam--nature; asritah--accepting.

TRANSLATION

Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.

TEXT 16

catur-vidha bhajante mam janah sukrtino 'rjuna arto jijnasur artharthi jnani ca bharatarsabha

SYNONYMS

catuh-vidhah--four kinds of; bhajante--render services; mam--unto Me; janah--persons; su-krtinah--those who are pious; arjuna--O Arjuna; artah--the distressed; jijnasuh--the inquisitive; artha-arthi--one who desires material gain; jnani--one who knows things as they are; ca--also; bharata-rsabha--O great one amongst the descendants of Bharata.

TRANSLATION

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