Thus, in this chapter and the previous chapter, the ananya-bhakta, also called the mahātmā (BG 8.15), is shown to be superior to the other devotees such as the one who approaches the Lord to rid himself of suffering. Now the Lord shows three other types of devotees who have not been mentioned previously, who are inferior to the previously mentioned ones: those who worship themselves, those who worship pratīka or secondary forms, and those who worship the viśvarūpa. Madhusūdana Sarasvatī explains the verse as follows. These others are unable to practice the sādhana of the mahātmā mentioned previously. They worship by the sacrifice of knowledge mentioned in the śruti in this way: tvaṁ vā aham asmi bhagavo devate ahaṁ vai tvam asi : O Lord, I am You and You are I.(Varāha Upaniṣad 33) They worship solely by a process of knowledge in which they identify themselves with God. Thus it is called jṣāna-yajṣa. Ca means “only” and api indicates that they give up other practices. Thus the meaning is: some, not desiring any other form of sādhana, worship Me through the sacrifice of knowledge, denying difference, simply by contemplating the non-difference of the worshipper and the object of worship (ekatvena). These are the best of the three types. [Note: This is Madhusūdana Sarasvatī’s opinion, not the Vaiṣṇava philosophy.] Inferior to this type are others who, thinking of difference (pṛthaktvena) between worshipper and object of worship, worship Me through sacrifice of knowledge in different external forms (devatās) representing the Lord, according to the śruti statements such as ādityo brahmety ādeśaḥ: the sun is Brahman, this is the instruction. (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.19.1) Others who are inferior to that, and are unable to worship either in non-difference or difference, worship Me as the soul of all (viśvato mukham), viśvarūpa, by many methods (bahudhā). According to the Tantric idea, one who does not identify with the deva cannot worship that deva: nādevo devam arcayet. [Note: This is quoted in Tattva and Bhakti Sandarbhas as well.] Such worship in which one thinks, “I am Gopāla” is called ahaṁgrahopāsanā. The worship of the vibhūtis of the Lord, taking one and worshipping separately, is called pratīkopāsanā. In such worship the person thinks, “The Supreme Lord Viṣṇu is non-different from the sun, He is non-different from Indra, He is non-different from Soma.” Worship of the totality of the vibhūtis, thinking “Viṣṇu is everything” is called viśvarūpa upāsanā. These are the three types of jṣāna-yajṣa. Or the meaning of ekatvena pṛthaktvena can mean that the two states “I am Gopāla” (oneness) and “I am the servant of Gopāla,” (difference) are simultaneously contemplated by one person, just like the river going to the ocean is different and non-different from the ocean. In this case there are only two types of jṣāna-yajṣa. [Note: The other worship would be worship of viśvarūpa.]

Having spoken of the devotees known as mahātmas who have a predominance of pure bhakti in the form of chanting and other processes, and who are fixed on the pure form of the Lord, Kṛṣṇa now speaks of other devotees who have a predominance of jṣāna, with the processes of bhakti such as chanting as secondary actions. Apart from the devotees mentioned in the previous verse, there are others whose worship Me through jṣāna yajṣa, and also using the devotional processes such as singing (kīrtana) just described. The Lord then describes the method of this worship. They worship Me who am actually one, but who am situated separately with material forms consisting of pradhāna, mahat tattva and other elements (pṛthaktvena), and am situated as the form of devatās such as Indra (viśvato mukham), by many methods (bahudhā). The point is this. Kṛṣṇa, possessing subtle spiritual and material energies, whose every wish is fulfilled, by willing “Let there be many,” remains one with His spiritual and material energies , but in a gross manifestation, is situated in the form of the variegated universe starting from Brahmā down to inanimate objects. They worship Me through chanting and other processes related to Me in order to realize this conception.

There are here three terms designating the three types of worship done by these jnanis without knowing that they are worshiping the Supreme Person, Krsna: 1. Ekatvena, in oneness, 2. Prthaktvena, in duality and, 3. Bahuda visvato‑mukha, in the universal form, in diversity. Srila Prabhupada says in his Purport: "This verse is the summary of the previous verses. The Lord tells Arjuna that those who are purely in Krsna consciousness and do not know anything other than Krsna are called mahatma; yet there are other persons who are not exactly in the position of mahatma but who worship Krsna also, in different ways. Some of them have already been described as the distressed, the financially destitute, the inquisitive, and those who are engaged in the cultivation of knowledge. But there are others who are still lower, and these are divided into three: (1) he who worships himself as one with the Supreme Lord, (2) he who concocts some form of the Supreme Lord and worships that, and (3) he who accepts the universal form, the visvarupa of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and worships that. Out of the above three, the lowest, those who worship themselves as the Supreme Lord, thinking themselves to be monists, are most predominant. Such people think themselves to be the Supreme Lord, and in this mentality they worship themselves. This is also a type of God worship, for they can understand that they are not the material body but are actually spiritual soul; at least, such a sense is prominent. Generally the impersonalists worship the Supreme Lord in this way. The second class includes the worshipers of the demigods, those who by imagination consider any form to be the form of the Supreme Lord. And the third class includes those who cannot conceive of anything beyond the manifestation of this material univ They consider the universe to be the supreme organism or entity and worship that. The universe is also a form of the Lord." Ekatvena, worshiping oneself as 'one with the Supreme' ‑ this is the lowest of the three. Prthaktvena, worshipers of the demigods, concocting that they are the Supreme. Bahudha visvato‑mukham, he who accepts the universal form of the Lord and worships that. We heard in the end of Chapter Seven and in the beginning of Chapter Eight, that: Krsna is 'adhidevata', He is also the material manifestation. Adhibhuta, and He is the source of Brahman (brahmano hi prathistaham). Those who are 'ekatvena', their results have already been explained in Texts 11 and 12 ‑ they are 'avajananti mam mudhah'. In the next Section (16‑25), Krsna explains two things: (1) how to worship the universal form of Krsna (16‑19) and (2) about the worship of demigods, the different results of that worship. About worshiping the demigods improperly, not seeing them as part of Krsna.

[D. KRSNA IS THE SUPREME OBJECT OF WORSHIP (9. 16‑25) 1. Worshipers of the universal form: Krsna who is the sacrifice, the ritual, the syllable OM, the Vedas, the universal father, the most dear friend, the sustainer, the goal, death, drought, heat, and the rain. (16‑19) ]