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Bhagavad-gītā 9.13

महात्मानस्तु मां पार्थ दैवीं प्रकृतिमाश्रिता: । भजन्त्यनन्यमनसो ज्ञात्वा भूतादिमव्ययम् ॥ १३ ॥
mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
[mahaatmaanas tu maam paartha]
daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
[daiveem prakritim aashritaah]
bhajanty ananya-manaso
[bhajanty ananya-manaso]
jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam
[jnaatvaa bhootaadim avyayam]
Word-for-word
mahā - ātmānaḥ — the great souls tu — but mām — unto Me pārtha — O son of Pṛthā daivīm — divine prakṛtim — nature āśritāḥ — having taken shelter of bhajanti — render service ananya - manasaḥ — without deviation of the mind jñātvā — knowing bhūta — of creation ādim — the origin avyayam — inexhaustible .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
mahā - ātmānaḥ
the great souls
tu
but
mām
unto Me
pārtha
O son of Pṛthā
daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
daivīm
divine
prakṛtim
nature
āśritāḥ
having taken shelter of
bhajanty ananya-manaso
bhajanti
render service
ananya - manasaḥ
without deviation of the mind
jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam
jñātvā
knowing
bhūta
of creation
ādim
the origin
avyayam
inexhaustible .
Important Words
  • mahā - ātmānaḥ — the great souls
    Mahā + ātman. Not 'celebrities' but souls who have become vast — not by accumulation but by orientation. They face Kṛṣṇa, and that single facing enlarges them.
  • daivīm — divine (i.e. parā-prakṛti, Bhagavān's spiritual energy)
    Daivī here is not 'belonging to the devas' but Bhagavān's own superior energy — the parā-prakṛti named in 7.5, internally constituted as hlādinī, sandhinī, and saṁvit. The aparā (eightfold material) deludes; the daivī shelters, because she *is* Kṛṣṇa's intimate śakti. The mahātmā takes refuge not in a higher realm but in Kṛṣṇa's own internal potency — and through her, in Him.
  • āśritāḥ — having taken shelter
    Past participle of ā + √śri. The same root used in 9.11 for Kṛṣṇa āśrita-ing the human form — but now the verb runs the other way. Just as He takes shelter in mānuṣī tanu to come close, the mahātmā takes shelter in daivī prakṛti to come close.
  • bhajanti — they worship
    From √bhaj — to share, partake, serve. Bhakti at its root means sharing in. The mahātmā does not merely admire Kṛṣṇa; he shares life with Him. The verb is in active, present, third plural — a continuous shared living.
  • ananya - manasaḥ — without deviation of mind
    A- + anya (other) + manas (mind). 'No-other-minded.' The mahātmā's mind has stopped offering itself in pieces to other objects. One mind, one direction. The single most demanding qualification in the verse.
  • avyayam — inexhaustible
    A- + √vyaya (expenditure) — never spent, never used up. The mahātmā knows Kṛṣṇa as bhūta-ādi (source of beings) and avyaya — original and never-depleted. Not a god among gods, but the never-spent fountain from which all gods come.
O son of Pṛthā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Contrast to verse 12. The mahātmās take shelter in daivī-prakṛti, recognise Kṛṣṇa as the imperishable origin of all beings, and worship Him with undistracted mind. Ananya-manas is the chapter's emerging keyword.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Three moves define the mahātmā: (1) refuge in daivī-prakṛti (the polar opposite of the āsurī of 9.12); (2) right knowledge of the Lord as bhūtādi avyayam; (3) ananya-bhakti. The Gītā's specific definition of mahātmā is theological, not merely moral. Cross-ref BG 7.19 (vāsudevaḥ sarvam) and the upcoming 9.22 (ananyāś cintayanto).
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
हे पार्थ! महात्मानः तु दैवीं प्रकृतिम् आश्रिताः, मां भूत-आदिम् अव्ययं ज्ञात्वा, अनन्य-मनसः (सन्तः) भजन्ति ।
he pārtha! mahātmānaḥ tu daivīṃ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, māṃ bhūta-ādim avyayaṃ jñātvā, ananya-manasaḥ (santaḥ) bhajanti |
But the great souls, O Pārtha, taking shelter in the divine nature, knowing Me as the imperishable origin of beings, worship Me with undivided minds.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
महात्मानः तु मां पार्थ दैवीं प्रकृतिम् आश्रिताः । भजन्ति अनन्य-मनसः ज्ञात्वा भूत-आदिम् अव्ययम् ॥
mahātmānaḥ tu māṃ pārtha daivīṃ prakṛtim āśritāḥ | bhajanti ananya-manasaḥ jñātvā bhūta-ādim avyayam ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
महात्मानः mahātmānaḥ महा + आत्मन् (m.) nom.pl. (nominative plural), karmadhāraya cpd. (compound) great souls
तु tu ind. (indeclinable), contrastive but
माम् mām अस्मद् pron. (pronoun) acc.sg. (accusative singular) Me
पार्थ pārtha पृथा (f.) + अण्-suffix, voc.sg. (vocative singular)m. O son of Pṛthā
दैवीम् daivīm दैवी (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)f. divine
प्रकृतिम् prakṛtim प्रकृति (f.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) nature
आश्रिताः āśritāḥ आ+√श्रि p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m. taken shelter in
भजन्ति bhajanti √भज् pres. (present) 3pl.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) they worship
अनन्य-मनसः ananya-manasaḥ अ + अन्य + मनस् (n.) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (whose mind is on no other) with undivided minds
ज्ञात्वा jñātvā √ज्ञा abs. (absolutive) having known
भूत-आदिम् bhūta-ādim भूत + आदि (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular), tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) origin of beings
अव्ययम् avyayam अव्यय (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. imperishable
Purport

In this verse the description of the mahātmā is clearly given. The first sign of the mahātmā is that he is already situated in the divine nature. He is not under the control of material nature. And how is this effected? That is explained in the Seventh Chapter: one who surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, at once becomes freed from the control of material nature. That is the qualification. One can become free from the control of material nature as soon as he surrenders his soul to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the preliminary formula. Being marginal potency, as soon as the living entity is freed from the control of material nature, he is put under the guidance of the spiritual nature. The guidance of the spiritual nature is called daivī prakṛti, divine nature. So when one is promoted in that way – by surrendering to the Supreme Personality of Godhead – one attains to the stage of great soul, mahātmā. The mahātmā does not divert his attention to anything outside Kṛṣṇa, because he knows perfectly well that Kṛṣṇa is the original Supreme Person, the cause of all causes. There is no doubt about it. Such a mahātmā, or great soul, develops through association with other mahātmās, pure devotees. Pure devotees are not even attracted by Kṛṣṇa’s other features, such as the four-armed Mahā-viṣṇu. They are simply attracted by the two-armed form of Kṛṣṇa. They are not attracted to other features of Kṛṣṇa, nor are they concerned with any form of a demigod or of a human being. They meditate only upon Kṛṣṇa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are always engaged in the unswerving service of the Lord in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
13. The fortunate souls, attaining deva nature, worship My human form with no distractions, knowing that My human-like body is the cause of all things and is indestructible, being fully spiritual.
Commentary

But those men who attain greatness by unpredictable mercy of My devotees attain the nature of the devas (daivīṁ prakṛtim) (rather than asuras), and worship Me in My human-like form. Their minds do not dwell on such things as desires for jñāna or karma (ananya manasaḥ). By knowledge of My powers (mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam), they know that I am the cause of all the unlimited bodies starting with Brahmā (bhūtādim). They know that I am indestructible (avayayam), since I have a body of sat-cid-ānanda. For understanding that I am worthy of worship, they should have at least this much knowledge of Me. Knowing this (jñātvā), they worship Me. It should be understood that this bhakti, which is not dependent on karma or jñāna which aim at realization of ātmā (tvam), and which is exclusively centered on the Lord, is the best of all, the king of knowledge, the king of secrets.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
13. Those of profound mind, taking shelter of My spiritual svarūpa, serve My human form with no distractions, knowing that My human-like body is the cause of all things, is indestructible, and fully spiritual.
Commentary

“Then who respects You?” Those who know Me as para Brahman with a human form, whose minds have become enlarged and deepened by such faith in Me (mahātmanaḥ—big minded), through devotee association, those who have no taste for other forms of the Lord such as the one having a thousand heads, [Note: This is the description of the Lord in the Puruṣa Sūkta, or the viśva rūpa.] though those are also My forms—such persons, having taken shelter of My spiritual svarūpa (daivim prakṛtim), accepting with conviction (jñātvā) that I, with human form, am the cause of all living entities, the humans as well as Brahmā and Śiva (bhūtādim), and that I am eternal (avyayam), serve Me (bhajanti). Their consciousness is deeply absorbed in Me in My human form alone (ananya manasaḥ).

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

Those mahatmas they are 'asritah', they have taken shelter, not in 'prakrtim mohinim sritah' as the demoniac do, but in the internal energy of the Lord 'daivim prakrtih asritah'. They have taken full shelter of the internal potency of Krsna: 'lhadini, sandini and samvit', and they know everything. They worship Krsna's form. Those mahatmas although humans, are actually divine ‑ and their consciousness is fixed on Krsna without deviation. What are these mahatmas' activities?

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study Key verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

COMMON THEME: Mahatamas – Those who do accept Krishna as He revealed Himself (c.f. Duratmas Bg. 9.12)

PLEASE NOTE: All signs and symptoms of ‘Mahatmas’ as given in the translation are included under various themes

of the ‘Focus of Learning’ section for these verses

Focus of Learning

(a) Various signs of ‘Mahatmas’

He is already situated in the protection of the Divine Nature
By surrender unto Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is situated in the divine nature (Ref. Bg. 7.14)
‘Guidance of spiritual nature’ is called ‘Daivi-prakrti’
Does not divert his attention to anything outside Krishna. How?
Because he knows Krishna to be original Supreme person
Attracted by His two-handed form – Performs unswerving service – may not even be interested in four-armed Vishnu form

(a) Example of the category of people mentioned here (Duratmas)

Many devotees who assume themselves to be in Krishna consciousness and devotional service, but at heart do not accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, as the Absolute Truth
Those engaged in fruitive pious activities and ultimately hoping to be liberated, but they mock Krishna and deride Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead

(b) People jeer at Krishna because they are envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead

(c) Supporting Ref. Bg. 7.15 “na mam...” – Such demoniac miscreants never surrender to Krishna

(d) Thoughts and convictions of such Duratmas

Their mental speculations about the Absolute Truth bring them to the false conclusion that the ordinary living entity are one and the same
They think that the body of any human being is now simple covered by material nature and that as soon as one is liberated from the material body, there is no difference between God and Himself

(e) Destiny of such Duratmas – They take shelter of the material energy and are attracted by

demoniac and atheistic views

Never surrender to Krishna – Never taste the fruit of Devotional Service (Back to Godhead)
Destiny – Birth after birth gets species of demoniac life
Real knowledge remains under delusion Gradually regress to darkest regions of creation

(f) It is a great offence to consider Krishna as an ordinary man (Ref. Brhad Vishnu Smrti) – (study

purport)

LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 9.14 & 9.15: Now Krishna mentions three types of worshipers who worship Him

indirectly

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
9.13 On the other hand, O son of Prtha, those mahat-manah, noble ones-who are not small-mined, who are imbued with faith, and who have set out on the path of Liberation, which is characerized by devotion to God; being asritah, possessed of; daivim, divine; prakrtim, nature-distinguished by mental and physical control, kindness, faith, etc.; tu, surely; bhajante, adore; mam, Me, God; ananya-manasah, with single-mindedness; jnatva, knowing Me; as the avyayam, immutable; bhutadim, source of all objects, of space etc. (i.e. th five elements) as well as of living beings. How?
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
9.13 Those who, through their multitude of good acts, have taken refuge in Me and have been thery released from the bondage of evil - they understand My divine nature. They are high-souled. Knowing Me to be the immutable source of all beings, namely, as the Lord whose name, acts and nature are beyond thought and speech, and who has descended in a human form out of supreme compassion to rescue the good, - they worship Me with un unswerving mind. As I am extremely dear to them, without worshipping Me they are unable to find support for their mind, self and external organs. Thus they become devoted to Me as their sole object.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
9.13 See Comment under 9.15
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
9.13 But the great souls, O Arjuna, partaking of My divine nature, worship Me with a single mind (with the mind devoted to nothing else), knowing Me as the imperishable source of beings.
Commentary

9.13 महात्मानः great souls? तु but? माम् Me? पार्थ O Partha? दैवीम् divine? प्रकृतिम् nature? आश्रिताः refuged (in)? भजन्ति worship? अनन्यमनसः with a mind devoted to nothing else? ज्ञात्वा having known? भूतादिम् the source of beings? अव्ययम् imperishable.Commentary Jnatva Bhutadimavyayam There is another interpretation -- knowing Me to be the source or the origin of beings and imperishable.Daivim Prakritim Divine or Sattvic nature. Those who are endowed with divine nature? and who possess selfrestraint? mercy? faith? purity? etc.Mahatmanah Or? the highsouled ones are those whose pure minds have been made by Me? as My special abode. I dwell in the pure minds of the highsouled ones. They have sincere devotion to Me. Those who possess divine Sattvic nature? who are endowed with a pure mind? and who have knowledge of the Self are Mahatmas.Bhutas All living beings? as well as the five elements.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
9.13 O son of Prtha, the noble ones, being possessed of divine nature, surely adore Me with single-mindedness, knowing Me as the immutable source of all objects.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
9.13 But the Great Souls, O Arjuna! Filled with My Divine Spirit, they worship Me, they fix their minds on Me and on Me alone, for they know that I am the imperishable Source of being.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)
Related verses
BG 9.14 BG 7.19 BG 8.15 SB 11.3.31 SB 3.25.20 SB 7.7.30 CC Madhya 22.83 CC Madhya 22.87 CC Madhya 11.31 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.13BRS 1.2.229
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
But the great souls, under the protection of the divine nature, fully engage in devotional service knowing Me as inexhaustible and original.
Practical Applications
  • Aspire to the protection of the divine nature, not just the divine.
  • Cultivate full engagement, not partial.
  • Recognize Kṛṣṇa as inexhaustible source.
Reflection Questions
  • Where is my engagement still partial?
  • What would 'full' look like this season?
Analogy

Two ships sail the same sea. One carries no flag and accepts cargo from any port; the wind tosses it everywhere. The other flies the king's pennant; storms pass, pirates yield, supplies arrive at every port without payment. The mahātmā is the second ship — daivīm prakṛtim āśritāḥ, sheltered under the divine nature. Ananya-manasaḥ — single-masted, one flag, one destination.

Stories
Dhruva Mahārāja

Five-year-old Dhruva, refused his father's lap because he was the son of the second queen, walked alone into the forest to find a higher father. Nārada tested him and then gave him the mantra; Dhruva sat in such fierce determination that the universe itself trembled.

When the Lord appeared, Dhruva — now fully aware that he was a mahātmā in the daivī prakṛti — knew he had set out for sweets and found nectar. The royal seat he had originally come for was offered to him afterwards almost as an afterthought. The mahātmā in 9.13 is a portrait Dhruva inhabits: ananya-manasaḥ, knowing Kṛṣṇa as bhūta-ādim avyayam — the original, inexhaustible source.

Prahlāda inside Hiraṇyakaśipu's house

Born into a household defined by hatred of Viṣṇu, Prahlāda was still — from infancy — āśrita to the daivī prakṛti. No threat from his father, no torture, no poisons or serpents shook the ananya-manas of the child. He served the Lord with whole heart while serpents coiled around him.

The verse's portrait of a mahātmā fits him precisely: he knew Kṛṣṇa as bhūta-ādim, the source of all beings, and bhajati with no fluctuation. Hiraṇyakaśipu, by contrast, fits the previous verse — vicetasa, mogha-āśa.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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