12.20 Very dear to me Krishna speaks
ये तु धर्म्यामृतमिदं यथोक्तं पर्युपासते
श्रद्दधाना मत्परमा भक्तास्तेऽतीव मे प्रियाः
ye tu dharmyāmṛitam idaṁ yathoktaṁ paryupāsate
śhraddadhānā mat-paramā bhaktās te ’tīva me priyāḥ
And those who take up this nectar of what is right, as I have declared it, with faith and taking me as the highest — those devoted ones are very dear to me.
Explanation
The closing line raises the stakes on the whole list.
Those who take up this teaching with faith are not merely dear but bhṛśaṁ priyāḥ — very dear. The intensifier is the last word of the chapter.
Which is a peculiar thing to end on. The eight verses just given describe someone beyond elation and grief, and the voice describing them is not at all beyond it.
Word by word
- ye
- who
- tu
- indeed
- dharma
- of wisdom
- amṛitam
- nectar
- idam
- this
- yathā
- as
- uktam
- declared
- paryupāsate
- exclusive devotion
- śhraddadhānāḥ
- with faith
- mat-paramāḥ
- intent on me as the supreme goal
- bhaktāḥ
- devotees
- te
- they
- atīva
- exceedingly
- me
- to me
- priyāḥ
- dear
Long-press or right-click the image to copy it. Nothing is uploaded — it is drawn here, on your device.