Four Kind Of Devotee

Shri Krishna as a Child: A representational image

चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जनाः सुकृतिनो अर्जुन 

आर्तो जिज्ञासुर अर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भारतषर्भ  Chapter 7 verse 16

In the above verse Shri Krishna tells Arjun that there are four kind of devotee who worships me. A person who all the time ask for some or the other thing such as wealth, or fulfillment of other desire, the one who worships me only at a time of distress such as tremendous monetary loss or deteriorating health, the one who want to know me through books and observation of the nature and the one knows me as I am i.e. the one who remembers me all the time in the form of my teachings as he knows i.e. understands me very well.

Shri Krishna further adds that out of all the four the one who knows me is my favourite, as he is just my form, there is no difference between him and me, than he further clarifies that I am Arjun among the Pandavas, I am Ved Vyas among all the knowledgeable and I am the Ram among Aryans this means that all the people he mentioned are equivalent to him in terms of Knowledge.

Further Shri Krishna tells Arjun that

न  कर्तृत्वं न  कर्माणि लोकस्य सृजति प्रभुः 

न कर्मफल संयोगं स्वभावस्तु प्रवर्तते   Chapter 5 Verse 14

Here Shri Krishna beautifully describes to Arjun regarding what is the role of all mighty in an individual's life, he says that neither I do anything neither I make the being to do anything and I don't even create an opportunity so that some thing happens but rather things happen due to personal habits as well guna ( properties) of the being. For eg : All Top order Batsman are usually better than the bowler due to habit of continuously practicing batting but some batsman eg Sachin or Sehwag or take any batsman of your choice are better than the other due to properties such as hand eye coordination and muscles power, timing or placing the ball and etc, but people think that Sachin Tendulkar is lucky, and I know some of you will argue that he is lucky to have these guna, but I will say it is just a chance and not luck.

In the very next verse he says

नादत्ते कस्यचित् पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभुः 

अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तवः Chapter 5 verse 15

The above shloka is said, to understand that the almighty is not bothered about the sins that you have committed take for eg: all the US president so far( they have done loads of crime) or all the leaders of political parties of India who have accumulated lots of money of poor, they live their life, grow old and die, neither he is pleased about the good work you have done,  recall anyone in your life, at least some of the people who died in Kedarnath temple cloud burst must have been very nice individual or the innocent kid who have give lots of happiness to his/her parents is killed by cancer, but due to ignorance, people are deluded in to this myth.

The above shloka can also be understood with the help of eg of Samrat Ashok or Angulimal who have killed lots of innocent people, but when both of them wanted to improve they were welcomed under a spiritual umbrella, a umbrella for self awareness.