Bhagavad Gita · 7.22 · Self-Knowledge and Enlightenment·22 of 30
स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते।लभते च ततः कामान्मयैव विहितान् हि तान् ॥
sa tayā śhraddhayā yuktas tasyārādhanam īhate
labhate cha tataḥ kāmān mayaiva vihitān hi tān
Sanskrit recitation
What you worship shapes you · 7.20–7.30 · Teaching
Translation
Endowed with that faith, he engages in the worship of that form and obtains his desired outcome, which is ordained by Me alone.
Meaning
The last two words Hi and Tan are taken as one word, Hitan meaning benefits. This is another interpretation. The devotee who worships the lesser gods attains the objects of his desire (minor psychic powers, etc.). Those objects are ordained by the Lord only as He alone knows exactly the relation between the actions and their results or rewards and as He is the Inner Ruler of all beings. Unwise or undiscriminating people only take recourse to the means of getting these finite rewards which can hardly give entire satisfaction. Pitiable indeed is their lot They have,no power of enquiry (VicharaSakti) or right understanding. They get hold of pieces of glass instead of attaining the jewel of the Self, of incalculabe value.
After Swami Sivananda
What you worship shapes you· 7.20–7.30→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 7.20Those whose wisdom has been taken away by this or that desire, go to other gods, following this or that rite, led by their own nature.
- 7.21Whatever form any devotee desires to worship with faith, I make that same faith of his firm and unflinching.
7.22Endowed with that faith, he engages in the worship of that form and obtains his desired outcome, which is ordained by Me alone.
- 7.23Verily, the reward (fruit) that accrues to those men of small intelligence is finite. The worshippers of the gods go to them, whereas My devotees come to Me.
- 7.24The foolish think of Me, the Unmanifest, as having manifestation, not knowing My higher, immutable, and most excellent nature.
- 7.25I am not manifest to all, veiled as I am by the Yoga-Maya. This deluded world does not know Me, who am unborn and imperishable.
- 7.26I know, O Arjuna, the beings of the past, the present, and the future; however, no one knows Me.
- 7.27O Bharata, all beings are subject to delusion at birth due to the delusion of the pairs of opposites arising from desire and aversion, O Parantapa.
- 7.28But those men of virtuous deeds, whose sins have come to an end and who are freed from the delusion of the pairs of opposites, worship Me steadfastly, with their vows.
- 7.29Those who strive for liberation from old age and death, taking refuge in Me, realize in full that Brahman, the whole knowledge of the Self, and all action.
- 7.30Those who know Me with the Adhibhuta (pertaining to the elements), Adhidaiva (pertaining to the gods), and the Adhiyajna (pertaining to the sacrifice) know Me even at the time of death, remaining steadfast in mind.
Word-by-word→
- saḥ
- he
- tayā
- with that
- śhraddhayā
- faith
- yuktaḥ
- endowed with
- tasya
- of that
- ārādhanam
- worship
- īhate
- tries to engange in
- labhate
- obtains
- cha
- and
- tataḥ
- from that
- kāmān
- desires
- mayā
- by me
- eva
- alone
- vihitān
- granted
- hi
- certainly
- tān
- those
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