Bhagavad-Gita: Chapter 9, Verse 13

Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Visnuswami

Sridhara Swami's Commentary

The question who is it then that worships Lord Krishna is being answered here. It is the mahatmanas or the great souls who follow the divine nature and are not subdued by lust and desire and therefore their minds are not devoted to anything other than the immutable and eternal Supreme Lord Krishna, understanding that He alone is the cause of all beings and all creation. The qualities of such great souls is given later in chapter 16 verse one.

Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Madhvacarya
There is no commentary for this verse.

Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Ramanuja

Ramanuja's Commentary

But those whose self acquired merits have led them to approach the Supreme Lord as their sole sanctuary whose chains of sins have been dissolved and destroyed and who are born of the divine nature are the mahatmanas or of noble souls. The mahatmanas know Lord Krishna as the infinite source of all beings and cause of all creation whose lilas or divine pastimes are transcendental material existence and beyond the scope of mundane comprehension. The Supreme Lord Krishna incarnates His avatars or immortal incarnations out of His causeless compassion for all creation to protect the righteous. Knowing the Supreme Lord as such the great souls with minds exclusively devoted worship and adore Him inceesantly. Exclusive devotion of the mind denotes that exultant state of consciousness where one is imbued with ecstatic waves of love for the Supreme Lord where if without such a mood and feeling of worshipful devotion not only in the mind and by the external senses but from the atma as well then life would become without support and untenable. Such great souls worship the Supreme Lord with such intense one pointed focus that this worship alone constitutes their sole aim and complete goal.

Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Nimbaditya

Kesava Kasmiri's Commentary

Who then are those who are blessed and praiseworthy? Lord Krishna declares the mahatmanas or great souls whose hearts are not full of trivial, mundane desires. This is because all their sins have been eradicated by the multitudes of meritorious deeds performed in thousands of previous lifetimes and thus their hearts have been cleansed of all dross and impurities and they possess the divine nature which will be specifically explained later in verse one of chapter 16. These mahatmanas have naturally qualified themselves for contemplation and meditation on the ultimate absolute truth associated with the Supreme Lord. Thus knowing Lord Krishna as the original source of all beings and primal cause of all creation and understanding that He descends and incarnates in His eternal spiritual form to bless, please and protect His devotees; such great beings devoutly worship Him exclusively with heartfelt love in single focused attention.