Chapter 7, Verse 17
Part of 7: Jñāna Vijñāna Yog — ज्ञानविज्ञानयोगतेषां ज्ञानी नित्ययुक्त एकभक्ितर्विशिष्यते। प्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं स च मम प्रियः॥
teṣhāṁ jñānī nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir viśhiṣhyate priyo hi jñānino ’tyartham ahaṁ sa cha mama priyaḥ
Of them, the wise who are ever steadfast and devoted to the One, excel; for I am exceedingly dear to the wise, and they are dear to Me.
Ekabhaktih means unswerving, singleminded devotion to the Supreme Being. The JnaniBhakta is beyond all cults or creeds or formal religion or rules of society. As the wise man is constantly harmonised and as he is devoted to the One, he is regarded as superior to all the other devotees. As I am his very Self or Antaratma? I am extremely dear to him. Everybody loves his own Self most. The Self is very dear to everybody. The wise man is My very Self and he is ear to Me also. (Cf. II.49IX.29XII.14?17and19)