5
Steering Toward the Supreme

udarah sarva evaite

Jfiani tv atmaiva me matam
asthitah sa hi yuktatma

mam evanuttamam gatim

“All these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous
souls, but he who is situated in knowledge of Me I
consider verily to dwell in Me. Being engaged in My
transcendental service, he attains Me.” (Bg. 7.18)
Here Krsna is saying that all the men who come
to Him—whether they be distressed, in need of mon-
ey, curious, etc.—are welcomed, but out of them the
person who is in knowledge is very dear to Him. The
others are welcomed because it is understood that in
course of time, if they continue on the path to God,
they will become as good as the man of knowledge.
Generally, however, it so happens that when one
goes to church for profit, and the money doesn’t
come, he concludes that approaching God is non-
sense, and he gives up all connection with church.
That is the danger of approaching God with ulterior
motives. For instance, during World War II it was
reported that many wives of the German soldiers
went to church to pray for their husbands’ safe re-
turn, but when they found they had been killed in
battle, they became atheistic. Thus we want God to
become our order-supplier, and when He does not
