succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in the course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science, as it is, appears to be lost.
(Giza, IV: 1-2)
Arjuna was neither a great scholar nor a Vedantist, but a great soldier. A soldier is not supposed to be scholarly, and so Arjuna was selected to understand the  Bhagavad-gita  because of one qualification only: he was a devotee of the Lord. This indicates that the  Bhagavad-gita  is especially meant for the devotee of the Lord.
There are three kinds of transcendentalists: the  yogin , the impersonalist, and the  bhakta , or devotee. Krsna says to Arjuna, "I am making you the first man of the discipline succession. The old succession is broken. I wish to re-establish the line of teaching which was passed down from the Sun-god. So you become the authority of the Bhagavad-gita." The Bhagavad-gita is directed to the devotee of the Lord, who is directly in touch with the Lord as a friend. To learn the Bhagavad-gita, one should be like Arjuna: a devotee having a direct relationship with the Lord. This is more helpful than  yoga  or impersonal philosophical speculation.
A devotee can be in relationship with the Lord in five different ways:
1. He may have a passive relationship.  2. He may have an active relationship.  3. He may be in friendship.  4. He may have the relationship of a parent.  5. He may have the relationship of a conjugal lover of the Lord.
Arjuna was a devotee in relationship with the Lord as a friend. This friendship is different from friendship in the mundane world. This kind of friendship is transcendental. Everyone has some relationship with the Lord. Unfortunately, in our present status, we have forgotten that eternal tie. Yet each of the millions upon millions of living beings has its particular relationship. By the process of service one can revive one's original status with the Lord.
Now, Arjuna was a devotee, and he was in touch with the Supreme Lord in friendship. Thus, the  Bhagavad-gita  was explained to him. How he accepted it should be noted. This is mentioned in the Tenth Chapter. After hearing the  Bhagavad-gita  from the Lord, Arjuna accepted Krsna as the Supreme  Brahman . Every living being is  Brahman , or spirit, but the supreme living being is the Supreme  Brahman . Arjuna accepted Krsna as pure, free from all material contamination, as the supreme