तेषां ज्ञानी नित्ययुक्त एकभक्तिर्विशिष्यते | प्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं स च मम प्रियः || १७ ||
teṣāṁ jñānī nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir viśiṣyate priyo hi jñānino 'tyartham ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ
teṣām—of these; jñānī—the man of wisdom; nitya-yuktaḥ—ever steadfast; eka-bhaktiḥ—with single-pointed devotion; viśiṣyate—is especially distinguished; priyaḥ—dear; hi—certainly; jñāninaḥ—to the man of wisdom; atyartham—exceedingly; aham—I am; saḥ—he; ca—and; mama—to Me; priyaḥ—dear.
“Of these, the wise one, ever steadfast and devoted to the One, excels. I am exceedingly dear to the wise, and he is dear to Me.”
The jñānī's distinctness lies not in superior intellect but in exclusive, unwavering one-pointedness toward the Supreme. When the lover and the beloved become one in the silence of pure awareness, the 'I love God' and 'God loves me' merge into a single undivided recognition—this is the pinnacle that Krishna describes as mutual dearness.
Whatever stage of devotion you occupy, practise 'eka-bhakti'—single-pointed orientation. Even if you have multiple desires and concerns, learn to bring each of them back to the one center. This progressive narrowing of focus is the journey from the four types of devotee to the jñānī.