अपि चेत्सुदुराचारो भजते मामनन्यभाक् ।साधुरेव स मन्तव्यः सम्यग्व्यवसितो हि सः ॥
api cetsudurācāro bhajate māmananyabhāk |sādhureva sa mantavyaḥ samyagvyavasito hi saḥ ||
Even if someone of very bad conduct worships me with undivided devotion, he should be regarded as good, for he has resolved rightly.
Explanation
Krishna has just said he is equal to all beings, yet he is close to those who worship him with devotion (bhakti). Here he says that even a person with a very poor past or conduct counts as good once he turns to him with single-minded devotion, because his resolve (vyavasāya) is now set in the right direction. Commentators differ on whether this means the person is already good in a real sense or is certain to become so; the next verse speaks of that change.