Chapter IX · Śloka 13
महात्मानस्तु मां पार्थ दैवीं प्रकृतिमाश्रिताः ।
भजन्त्यनन्यमनसो ज्ञात्वा भूतादिमव्ययम् ॥
भजन्त्यनन्यमनसो ज्ञात्वा भूतादिमव्ययम् ॥
mahātmānas tu māṃ pārtha daivīṃ prakṛtim āśritāḥ |
bhajantyananya-manaso jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam ||
bhajantyananya-manaso jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam ||
But the great-souled ones, O Pārtha, who take refuge in the divine nature, worship Me with undivided mind, knowing Me as the imperishable source of all beings.
The mahātmā is defined here not by birth or austerity but by single-pointed devotion grounded in recognition of Kṛṣṇa as the imperishable origin of all life.