Bhagavad Gita 7.18
Spoken by Krishna ☆ Key verse · Verse 18 of 30
उदाराः सर्व एवैते ज्ञानी त्वात्मैव मे मतम् | आस्थितः स हि युक्तात्मा मामेवानुत्तमां गतिम् ||१८||
udārāḥ sarva evaite jñānī tv ātmaiva me matam | āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā mām evānuttamāṃ gatim || 18 ||
Noble are all — but the jñānī I regard as My very Self; with united mind, resting in Me alone as the supreme goal.
Word by word (3)
- udārāḥ sarve eva ete — jñānī tu ātmā eva me matam
- — noble indeed are all of these — but the jñānī I regard as My very Self · udārāḥ = noble, generous, magnanimous (from ud + √ṛ = to raise up; udāra = one who raises, who is elevated — noble in character, magnanimous). sarve = all (all four types from V16). eva = indeed (emphatic — genuinely noble, without qualification). ete = these (the four types). jñānī = the wise one. tu = but (contrastive particle — the familiar Gita pivot: 'noble, but...'). ātmā eva = very Self, My own Self (ātmā = Self; eva = itself, exactly — 'the jñānī is My Self itself'). me matam = My view, My judgment (matam = opinion, view — 'this is what I regard,' 'this is My understanding'). The declaration: all four are udāra (noble) — but the jñānī is ātmā eva (My very Self). This is the Gita's highest statement of identity between the realized devotee and the Divine. Not 'dear to Me' (V17) but 'My very Self' — the jñānī who has recognized 'Vāsudeva is all' (V19) is recognized by Krishna as his own Self.
- āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā mām eva anuttamāṃ gatim
- — for that one, with united self, has taken resort in Me alone as the unsurpassed goal · āsthitaḥ = has taken resort in, is established in (āsthita = one who has taken up position in — from āsthā = to take one's stand on, to resort to). sa = that one (the jñānī). hi = for, indeed (giving the reason). yuktātmā = one whose self is united, whose mind is in union (yukta = in yoga, united; ātmā = self/mind — yuktātmā = the one whose inner self is established in union). mām eva = Me alone (the same exclusive qualifier as V14's prapatti teaching). anuttamāṃ gatim = as the unsurpassed goal (anuttama = unsurpassed, the highest; gati = goal, destination, way — the highest possible destination). The explanation: the jñānī is My very Self because (hi) that one, with united self (yuktātmā), has taken resort in Me alone as the unsurpassed goal (anuttamāṃ gatim). The sequence: recognition of the Divine as ultimate (anuttamā gati) + complete resort (mām eva āsthitaḥ) = yuktātmā = Krishna's own Self. This is the non-dual identity that arises from complete prapatti.
- ātmā eva me matam — the highest declaration
- — the jñānī is My very Self — the Gita's most explicit statement of the realized soul's identity with the Divine · The phrase 'ātmā eva me matam' (I regard [the jñānī] as My very Self) is the Gita's most explicit identification of the realized soul with the Divine. It goes beyond 'dear to Me' (V17's mama priyaḥ) to 'My own Self' (ātmā eva). This is not pantheism (everything is God) but recognition of the specific non-dual relationship that arises when the jñānī has fully realized 'Vāsudeva is all' (V19). The Divine's recognition of the jñānī as ātmā (Self) corresponds to the jñānī's recognition of the Divine as their own Self. The recognition is mutual and symmetric — which is why V17 calls it a mutual love (priyo mama / mama priyaḥ).
All of these are noble, but the wise one I hold to be My very Self; for, steadfast in mind, that one rests in Me alone as the highest goal.
A modern analogy
Among students of a great musical master, all are genuinely talented (udāra). But the one who has so completely internalized the master's vision that their music and the master's music are indistinguishable — who has become, musically, the master's expression — is regarded by the master as 'My very musical self.' Not higher than the others in worth, but uniquely identified with the master's own realization. This verse's jñānī is in this relationship with Krishna.
What it does NOT mean
This verse does NOT say the other three types (ārtī, jijñāsu, arthārthī) are ignoble — it explicitly says all (sarve eva) are udāra (noble). The comparison is qualitative: among noble people, the jñānī's realization creates a unique form of identity with the Divine. The verse's 'ātmā eva' is not available to the ārtī, jijñāsu, or arthārthī — not because they are lesser people but because the recognition that 'Vāsudeva is all' that produces this identity has not yet occurred for them.
Take with you
- The verse's 'ātmā eva me matam' (My very Self) is the goal of the spiritual journey described in Chapter 7: not union as two separated things joining, but the recognition of original identity — the jñānī realizes 'Vāsudeva is all,' and from the Divine's side this is recognized as the jñānī becoming 'My very Self.'
- The verse's yuktātmā (united self) describes the inner state that enables this recognition: not the divided self that pursues multiple ultimate loyalties but the unified self established in Me alone. The practice toward this state is the progressive unification of the self — releasing divided loyalties, consolidating around the One.
- The verse's anuttamāṃ gatim (unsurpassed goal) names the direction: the Divine as the unsurpassed destination, not as a means to something else. When the Divine becomes the anuttamā gati — not a means but the final end — the conditions for this identity are established.
Public-domain translations (6) compare all →
Noble indeed are all these; but the wise man, I deem, is the very Self; for, steadfast in mind, he resorts to Me alone as the unsurpassed goal. [1]
Noble indeed are they all, but the wise man I regard as My very Self; for with the mind steadfast, he is established in Me alone, as the supreme goal. [4]
Noble are all these, but the Wise I hold to be My very Self. For he is united to Me as the highest goal, along the path of the road divine. [5]
All these are noble, but I consider the man of wisdom to be my very self, for he, devoted and single-minded, remains in union with me, who am the highest path. [6]
All these are noble souls, but I deem the Wise Man as Myself. For he, with spirit fixed on Me, hath set his love on Me, the Goal Supreme. [7]
All these are indeed noble; but the wise man, I think, is even as Myself, for with his self well concentrated, he resorts to me alone as the highest path. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Of the four, the jñānī excels — ever steadfast, one-pointed: I am supremely dear to the wise; the wise is dear to Me.
At the end of many births, the wise takes refuge in Me — 'Vāsudeva is all.' That great soul is exceedingly rare.
This body is called kṣetra (the field); the one who knows it is called kṣetrajña — the field-knower!
Satisfied by knowledge and realisation, senses mastered, gold and mud equally seen — this is the true steadfast yogi.
Sattva, rajas, or tamas — each can become dominant over the others, alternating in every mind.
Holding that nihilistic view, ruined selves of limited mind and fierce action, they rise as enemies of the world.
Verse 18 of 30 · back to Chapter 7