Text 94] Explanations of the Atmarama Verse 129

cannot produce milk, although it may appear that they can. An unintelligent per-
son cannot understand that only devotional service can elevate one to the trans-
cendental position.

TEXT 94

BR SIT As Gals VHHECAVGa |
Biesi fawtgatiat Stal 5 eases i as |

catur-vidha bhajante mam
janah sukrtino ‘rjuna

arto jijfidsur artharthi
jfiani ca bharatarsabha

SYNONYMS
catuh-vidhah—four kinds; bhajante—worship; maém—Me; janah—persons;
sukrtinah —who have obeyed the principles of human life or the regulative princi-
ples of varna and asrama; arjuna—O Arjuna; artah—the distressed; jijfiasuh—the
inquisitive; artha-arthi—one in need of money; jfiani—one pursuing knowledge;
ca—also; bharata-rsabha—O best of the Bharata dynasty.

TRANSLATION

‘“‘O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render
devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisi-
tive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.’

PURPORT

This is a quotation from Bhagavad-gita (7.16). The word sukrtinah is very impor-
tant in this verse. Su means “auspicious,” and krti means “meritorious” or
“regulated.” Unless one follows the regulative principles of religious life, human
life is no different from animal life. Religious life means following the principles of
varna and asrama. In the Visnu Purana it is said:

varnasramacaravata
pususena parah puman

visnur aradhyate pantha
nanyat tat-tosa-kdranam

According to religious life, society is divided into four social divisions — brahmana,
ksatriya, vaisya and sddra—and four spiritual divisions—brahmacarya, grhastha,
vanaprastha and sannyadsa. One needs to be trained to become a brahmana,
ksatriya, vaisya or sudra, just as one is trained to become an engineer, doctor or
lawyer. Those who are properly trained can be considered human beings; if one is
