चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जनाः सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन।आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ॥
catur-vidhā bhajante māṃ janāḥ sukṛtino ’rjunaārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha
Word by word
The verse says
Four kinds of good people turn to me, Arjuna: the one in trouble, the one who wants to understand, the one who wants something, and the one who knows.
In plain words
Look at who is on the list.
The person praying because they are frightened. The person praying because they want money. Both are called sukṛtinaḥ — people who do good.
Nobody here is being put up with. All four are counted in.
Where you've felt this · in community
Four people are standing in the same queue outside a temple on a Tuesday morning. One has a court hearing next week. One wants to know what the priest means when he says the word soul. One is hoping the shop does better this year than last. One is not asking for anything at all. Standing in that queue, there is nothing to tell any of them apart.
Going deeper
Most religious traditions carry a quiet ranking of motives, and this verse says the quiet part out loud.
The one in trouble and the one who wants something are not shamed, not sent away to come back with better reasons, and not placed outside. They are called sukṛtinaḥ, doers of good, in the same breath as the one who knows.
This matters because of how people actually arrive. Almost nobody begins from pure understanding. They begin because something hurts, or because they want a result, or because a question will not leave them alone. If those doors were shut the building would be empty.
So if you have ever caught yourself bargaining — get me through this and I will be better afterwards — and felt small about it later, you were already counted. Nothing here asks you to arrive with the right motive. It only notices that you turned.