Gita 07.21 – Krishna is much more merciful than the God in the Prodigal Son metaphor
yo yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ
śraddhayārcitum icchati
tasya tasyācalāṁ śraddhāṁ
tām eva vidadhāmy aham (Bg 7.21)
Word-for-word:
yaḥ yaḥ — whoever; yām yām — whichever; tanum — form of a demigod; bhaktaḥ — devotee; śraddhayā — with faith; arcitum — to worship; icchati — desires; tasya tasya — to him; acalām — steady; śraddhām — faith; tām — that; eva — surely; vidadhāmi — give; aham — I.
Translation:
I am in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul. As soon as one desires to worship some demigod, I make his faith steady so that he can devote himself to that particular deity.
Explanation:
In this section of the Bhagavad-gītā (7.20 to 7.23), Kṛṣṇa discusses the worship of demigods. In the previous verse, He states that when people’s knowledge is stolen by desire, they turn away from worshipping Him and instead worship other devatās (demi-gods): kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante ’nya-devatāḥ taṁ taṁ niyamam āsthāya prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā.
In this verse (7.21), He continues the discussion by saying:
yo yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ: Whichever form they desire to worship,
śraddhayārcitum icchati: and wish to worship with faith,
tasya tasyācalāṁ śraddhāṁ: that very steadfast faith in that particular devatā,
tām eva vidadhāmy aham: I grant such faith to them.
Kṛṣṇa thus explains that He strengthens the very faith with which a person approaches a particular demi-god.
The implication of this verse is that devotion even to the demi-gods arises through Kṛṣṇa’s arrangement—we could even say through His mercy. It is Kṛṣṇa who grants faith to those who worship the demigods. Why would He do this? Because such worship can lead to their gradual spiritual elevation.
The inclusiveness of the Vedic path is that it accommodates both gradual and rapid approaches to spiritual progress. For those who wish to advance quickly—moving beyond the influence of the material modes, breaking free from the shackles of material nature, and realizing and relishing their spiritual identity—the Gītā recommends the direct path: mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (7.14). Those who surrender exclusively to Kṛṣṇa rise swiftly.
However, for those who are not ready to take that rapid path, Kṛṣṇa neither condemns nor rejects them, nor does He sentence them to hell. In some Abrahamic traditions, there is the idea that one must worship a particular representative of God—the son of God, the messenger of God—and by doing so one is delivered. If one does not, one is considered destined for hell. This kind of digital logic—my way or the highway, or rather, my way or the “hell way,” we might say—is not endorsed by the Gītā.
The Gītā presents a far more accommodating vision of God. Kṛṣṇa does not enforce a stark polarity. Instead, He provides intermediaries between Himself and the conditioned souls. These intermediaries function, at one level, as substitutes or surrogates—alternative avenues through which people can begin their spiritual progress according to their nature and readiness.
The idea is that turning toward Kṛṣṇa is not always easy. For many people, surrendering directly to Him can feel difficult. Of course, if one receives the association of devotees, surrender becomes relatively easier than navigating the complexity of other spiritual processes. But when, for whatever reason, someone is not yet able to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, He provides alternatives so that they can continue progressing toward Him, even if not directly.
If a person cannot advance through direct devotion to Kṛṣṇa, they can still advance through indirect devotion—by directing their worship toward Kṛṣṇa’s representatives.
We know that the Bible includes the story of the prodigal son. After the son leaves home, the father eagerly waits for him and joyfully welcomes him back, even though the son had rebelled, rejected his father, squandered his inheritance, and disgraced the family name. This clearly illustrates God’s love for all souls, and the central message of the prodigal son story resonates across the world’s theistic traditions.
At the same time, the Gītā presents an understanding that God does more than wait patiently and welcome joyfully. God also acts proactively, striving to help the soul even while he is still wandering away from Him. In the prodigal son narrative, it is described that the son wanders from place to place, unable to find a meaningful direction. He becomes trapped working for a pigsty owner who forces him to feed the pigs—who even bite him—and to eat the same food they eat. In this miserable condition, the prodigal son suffers deeply.
The Gītā reveals the vision of a God who actively helps the soul. When the soul’s devotion becomes misdirected, God assists by gradually guiding that soul back toward Kṛṣṇa and ultimately toward attaining Him. One of the ways He does this is through the structured system of demigod worship.
The demigods are not merely administrative assistants in Kṛṣṇa’s cosmic government—as a council of ministers might assist a king. They also function as surrogates. Just as a son may live comfortably at home under the father’s care, but if the son is unwilling to stay with the father, the father may send a trusted representative to help him. If the father happens to be a king, he might send a minister who says to the wayward son, “Why continue working for such a harsh master? Come work for me instead. I can pay you better and offer you better living and working conditions.”
In the same way, the demi-gods offer the soul opportunities, and the soul accepts them according to his readiness. Just as the minister invites the wayward son—“Come back and work for me”—and the son returns to the father’s kingdom, he is once again indirectly under the father’s protection. He may not yet be living in the father’s home, but he is still within the kingdom and under the father’s broader care.
Similarly, when the soul begins to worship the demi-gods, he comes under Kṛṣṇa’s care indirectly, because the demi-gods themselves operate within His authority and compassion. Of course, if the son were wise, he would return directly to his father. But that is not his present level of readiness. That is why Kṛṣṇa says kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ (7.20). Out of His kindness, Kṛṣṇa grants faith even for the worship of the demi-gods.
Depending on the son’s mood, he may prefer one minister over another. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa says yo yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ—whichever form a soul wishes to worship, Kṛṣṇa strengthens that faith. His concern is simple and compassionate: “Let the soul be elevated somehow and gradually return to the safety of My shelter.”
How this process of demigod worship functions will be discussed in the following verses.
Thank you.
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