Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya

So the next verse describes how this happens.

Bg 7.17

teṣāṁ jñānī nitya-yukta
eka-bhaktir viśiṣyate
priyo hi jñānino ’tyartham
ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ

Word for word: 

teṣām — out of them; jñānī — one in full knowledge; nitya–yuktaḥ — always engaged; eka — only; bhaktiḥ — in devotional service; viśiṣyate — is special; priyaḥ — very dear; hi — certainly; jñāninaḥ — to the person in knowledge; atyartham — highly; aham — I am; saḥ — he; ca — also; mama — to Me; priyaḥ — dear.

Translation: 

Of these, the one who is in full knowledge and who is always engaged in pure devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and he is dear to Me.

 

teṣāṁ jñānī nitya-yukta

Among those people the Jyani who is nitya-yukta who is constantly engaged 

eka-bhaktir viśiṣyate

That person has one pointed devotion, he is the best, among all these four kinds of people all other are coming for the fulfilment of material desires and because they are coming for fulfilment of material desire their devotion is not considered to be very elevated but the person who is Gyani has some knowledge that there is some highest truth who is beyond this material world  I wanted to know what is that truth and I wanted to develop knowledge of that truth and then I wanted to connected with that truth so that person is the best. Now is Sri Krishna is referring to impersonal Gyana over here? No because Sri Krishna is saying “eka-bhaktir” that person is having bhakti and not only bhakti but “eka-bhaktir”as said in 2.45 Eka-He-Kurunandana, so what makes our intelligence diverted in this direction and in that direction what makes our intelligence divided is material desires, so when the Gyani has already understood that this material world doesn’t have much to offer I wanted to seek something that is beyond the material world so that Gyani when focuses on the absolute truth then eka-bhaktir, purpose is not anything material purpose is devotional. So nitya-yukta that is why that person’s devotion is not occasional it is perennial, nitya-yukta. 

One who goes to the Lord with material desire, when problem comes they go and pray O Lord help me and when trouble is over, then Thank You, Bye-Bye, it become like that for God, we may not say bye-bye to God but we say farewell to at least serious devotional service that we might be doing at the time we were in trouble but if a person is not motivated by anything material then nitya-yukta
eka-bhaktir, So Sri Krishna is not talking about the impersonal Gyana here, he is talking about person who is basically transcended the arena of material temptation and material tribulation and he says there is nothing in the material world for which I should be agitated about, let me stay focused and he is saying among this priyo hi jñānino ’tyartham, He is saying he is very dear to Me because that person is aspiring for pure devotion eka-bhaktir, he is priyo hi jñānino, exceedingly dear to Me, 

ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ

So Krishna is talking about bond of love between such Gyani and Him. Because this Gyani doesn’t have material desire so he start approaching Krishna then the bond of love develops very quickly. Just like when wood is there which is not wet when fire is put immediately it blazes fire. Similarly these Gyanis when material desire is not there, material desire is like water which makes the wood wet in this example so the heart of these Gyanis is not having any distracting factor so once the person gets attracted to Krishna, the attraction towards Krishna blazes forward, this has happened with Kumars, when they got fragrance of the Tulsi leaves from the Lotus Feet of Lord Vishnu that attracted them and they move forward in surrender to Sri Krishna.

End of transcription.