Bhagavad Gita BG 7.18
Chapter 7, Verse 18 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
उदाराः सर्व एवैते ज्ञानी त्वात्मैव मे मतम् । आस्थितः स हि युक्तात्मा मामेवानुत्तमां गतिम् ॥
udarah sarva evaite jnani tv atmaiva me matam asthitah sa hi yuktatma mam evanutt-amam gatim
Meaning
All of these are indeed noble, but the jnani is My very Self — this is My view. Established in Me with a united self, he has Me alone as his unsurpassable goal.
Understanding
This verse delivers one of the most stunning declarations in the Gita. Krishna affirms all four types of seekers (7.16): 'udarah sarva evaite' — all these are noble/generous-minded (udara). Not one category is dismissed. Yet a fundamental distinction is made: 'jnani tu atmaiva me matam' — but the jnani is My very Atman — this is My view (matam). The jnani does not merely know God or worship God — the jnani IS, in Krishna's assessment, His very Self. Three elements explain why: (1) 'Yuktatma' — the jnani's self is united (yukta) in yoga — completely, not partially. (2) 'Asthitah mam eva' — established in Me alone — not divided between the Divine and the world. (3) 'Anuttamam gatim' — Me as the unsurpassed goal — the jnani has recognized there is nothing beyond Krishna. This is the pinnacle of the bhakta-jnani identity: the highest devotee IS the Self of God. Not metaphorically — in Krishna's own view (matam). Why? Because the jnani knows 'I am Brahman' and also 'Krishna is Brahman' — the distinction between lover and beloved dissolves. The jnani's love is the love of the Self for itself.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| उदाराः | udarah | noble, generous, magnanimous |
| ज्ञानी | jnani | the one who knows, the wise one (with direct realization) |
| आत्मैव | atmaiva | My very Self (atma + eva, emphatic) |
| मतम् | matam | My view, My opinion, My considered position |
| अनुत्तमाम् | anuttamam | unsurpassed, highest, beyond which nothing is higher |
| उदाराः | udārāḥ | noble, generous |
| सर्वे | sarve | all |
| एव | eva | indeed |
| एते | ete | these |
| ज्ञानी | jñānī | the wise one |
| तु | tu | but |
| आत्मैव | ātmaiva | as My very Self |
| मे | me | My |
| आस्थितः | āsthitaḥ | being established |
| सः | saḥ | he |
| हि | hi | indeed |
| युक्त-आत्मा | yukta-ātmā | with self united (in yoga) |
| माम् | mām | Me |
| एव | eva | alone |
| अनुत्तमाम् | anuttamām | the unsurpassed |
| गतिम् | gatim | goal, destination |