Sanskrit
यो मामेवमसंमूढो जानाति पुरुषोत्तमम् । स सर्वविद्भजति मां सर्वभावेन भारत ॥
yo mām evam asaṃmūḍho jānāti puruṣottamam sa sarvavid bhajati māṃ sarvabhāvena bhārata
Translation
He who undeluded knoweth Me thus as the Supreme Spirit, he, all-knowing, worshippeth Me with his whole being, O Bhârata.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The chapter now states its payoff: knowing Krishna, undeluded, as Purushottama makes one “all-knowing” and moves one to worship “with the whole being” (sarva-bhāvena), a phrase that ties metaphysical knowledge directly to total devotional orientation rather than treating them as separate tracks. This is consistent with how the Gita generally resolves its jnana/bhakti tension: right knowledge here is not presented as competing with devotion but as what makes devotion complete. Knowing Krishna as Puruṣottama makes one sarva-vit, “knower of all” — because it is the knowledge that contains the rest — and the natural expression of it is bhajati sarva-bhāvena, “worships with the whole being.” Knowledge and devotion are one act.
Study deeper
Word by word
- yo mām evam asaṃmūḍhoयो मां एवं असंमूढो
- who thus, undeluded, [knows] Me (yaḥ + mām + evam + asaṃmūḍhaḥ)
- jānāti puruṣottamamजानाति पुरुषोत्तमं
- knows [Me as] the Supreme Person (jānāti + puruṣottamam)
- sa sarvavid bhajati māṃस सर्वविद् भजति मां
- he, all-knowing, worships Me (saḥ + sarva-vit + bhajati + mām)
- sarvabhāvena bhārataसर्वभावेन भारत
- with his whole being, O Bhārata (sarva-bhāvena + bhārata)
Commentary
Site Commentary
The chapter resolves its own jnana/bhakti tension in a single phrase: knowing Krishna as Purushottama moves one to worship “with the whole being,” which means the knowledge isn’t a competing track alongside devotion, it’s what makes the devotion complete. Understanding and wholehearted commitment are presented as the same motion, arriving together rather than as two separate achievements a person has to choose between.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- Don't treat deeply understanding something you care about and wholeheartedly committing to it as separate, competing tracks. Real understanding of what matters to you should complete your devotion to it, not replace the need to actually show up for it.
Professional
- Don't let deep technical mastery of a product substitute for genuine commitment to the customer it serves — understanding and customer obsession aren't rival priorities. This verse's move is knowledge completing devotion, and the same logic applies to expertise and care for the people you build for.
Family & Social
- Don't let intellectually understanding a family member's patterns and history become a substitute for actually showing up for them wholeheartedly. Knowledge of someone should complete your devotion to them, not quietly replace the harder work of being present.
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