Sanskrit
महात्मानस्तु मां पार्थ दैवीं प्रकृतिमाश्रिताः । भजन्त्यनन्यमनसो ज्ञात्वा भूतादिमव्ययम् ॥
mahātmānas tu māṃ pārtha daivīṃ prakṛtim āśritāḥ bhajanty ananyamanaso jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam
Translation
Verily the Mahâtmâs, O Partha, partaking of My divine nature, worship with unwavering mind, having known Me, the imperishable source of beings.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The turn from verses 11-12’s mūḍhāḥ to the mahātmānaḥ here is the sharpest contrast the chapter has drawn so far: the same divine reality, met with opposite responses, one dismissive and one wholly devoted (“ananya-manasaḥ,” of undivided mind). That phrase anticipates verse 22’s “ananyāś cintayanto” — the same root idea of undivided attention returning later as the condition for Krishna’s direct care. Ananya-manasaḥ — “with a mind on no other” — is the hinge word of the chapter: it names the devotion that BG 9.22 rewards with yoga-kṣema and BG 9.30 accepts even from the wrongdoer.
Study deeper
Word by word
- mahātmānas tu māṃ pārthaमहात्मानस् तु मां पार्थ
- but the great souls, [worshipping] Me, O Pārtha (mahā-ātmānaḥ + tu + mām + pārtha)
- daivīṃ prakṛtim āśritāḥदैवीं प्रकृतिं आश्रिताः
- dwelling in the divine nature (daivīm + prakṛtim + āśritāḥ)
- bhajanty ananyamanasoभजन्त्य् अनन्यमनसो
- worship, with undivided mind (bhajanti + ananya-manasaḥ)
- jñātvā bhūtādim avyayamज्ञात्वा भूतादिं अव्ययं
- knowing [Me] the imperishable source of beings (jñātvā + bhūta-ādim + avyayam)
Commentary
Site Commentary
The address changes with the content: verse 3’s warning about faithless people falling back into death’s paths calls Arjuna “Parantapa,” scorcher of foes — a martial epithet for a warning. Here, describing the mahātmānaḥ who worship with undivided mind, it’s “Pārtha,” son of Pritha — a lineage name, gentler, more personal. The chapter doesn’t announce this shift in address; it just does it, tuning the tone to match warning against blessing.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- Notice how the language you use toward yourself shifts with the content — harsher registers for warnings, gentler ones for what you're capable of — and check that the harshness isn't leaking into moments that don't call for it.
Professional
- When giving feedback, match your tone deliberately to the content — a stern register for naming a real risk, a warmer one for recognizing what's working — rather than defaulting to one voice for everything you say to your team.
Family & Social
- Pay attention to which tone you reach for with someone close to you in different moods — warmth when things are going well, sternness only when truly warranted, does real relational work even when it's never spoken about directly.
Ask yourself
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