Gita 07.22 – Krishna accomodates within the house of the Vedas even those who cant worship him
sa tayā śraddhayā yuktas
tasyārādhanam īhate
labhate ca tataḥ kāmān
mayaiva vihitān hi tān (Bg 7.22)
Word-for-word:
saḥ — he; tayā — with that; śraddhayā — inspiration; yuktaḥ — endowed; tasya — of that demigod; ārādhanam — for the worship; īhate — he aspires; labhate — obtains; ca — and; tataḥ — from that; kāmān — his desires; mayā — by Me; eva — alone; vihitān — arranged; hi — certainly; tān — those.
Translation:
Endowed with such a faith, he endeavors to worship a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone.
Explanation:
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa continues His discussion on the system of demigod worship. He says:
sa tayā śraddhayā yuktas: Being equipped with that faith
In the previous verse, Kṛṣṇa has said that whichever form a person desires to worship, He makes the faith in that particular devatā strong. Kṛṣṇa says with that strengthened faith
tasyārādhanam īhate: they worship that particular devatā
labhate ca tataḥ kāmān: they attain the fulfillment of their desires,
mayaiva vihitān hi tān: though actually those results are sanctioned only by Me.
In the previous talk, we discussed the system of demigod worship and compared it with the biblical allegory of the prodigal son. We observed that God is not only a father who waits and welcomes but also one who actively works for the son’s welfare even while the son is still away. The point here is that the supreme being continues to offer opportunities for individuals to reconnect with Him.
Just as the son begins working under a minister and receives a salary—the question naturally arises: from where does the minister get the money to pay him? It ultimately comes from the king. In the same way, the devatās function as ministers in Kṛṣṇa’s cosmic administration. When they accept worship and grant results, they do not do so independently. Their ability to bestow any benefit comes solely from their connection with Kṛṣṇa.
As Kṛṣṇa states here, worshippers may attain their desired fruits, but those results arise only because He sanctions them—mayā eva vihitān hi tān.
To the extent that we connect ourselves with Kṛṣṇa, to that extent we can move closer to Him and ultimately attain Him. But if one cannot directly connect with Kṛṣṇa, then by connecting with His representative devatās, one at least enters the broad house of the Vedas.
Those who are outside this Vedic framework—for example, followers of the Abrahamic traditions—often face significant cultural and conceptual barriers in appreciating the system of Kṛṣṇa-bhakti. For them, it is difficult to understand or relish how the one supreme God described in their tradition and the one supreme God described in the Vedic literature can actually be the same. After all, the God of Christianity presents Himself as a jealous God, declaring, “Thou shalt not bow to any other god,” whereas the God of the Bhagavad-gītā not only acknowledges the existence of other gods but also facilitates people in worshipping them by giving them faith and granting the devatās the potency to bestow the fruits of that worship.
Thus, Kṛṣṇa is not a God who is preoccupied with asserting His own supremacy. His primary concern is the upliftment of the soul. Whatever helps the soul to rise higher—Kṛṣṇa accepts that. Even if the soul merely acknowledges that there is some higher power beyond himself, and that initial step sets the spiritual journey in motion—a journey that will ultimately culminate in Kṛṣṇa—that too is acceptable to Him. In this way, Kṛṣṇa enables the soul to gradually come closer to Him and eventually attain Him.
Seen from this perspective, the system of demigod worship highlights Kṛṣṇa’s unparalleled compassion in allowing anyone and everyone to approach Him and gradually attain Him. Such is the extraordinary expansiveness of Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. With the faith granted by Kṛṣṇa, the devatā-upāsaka worships the devata (labhate ca tataḥ kāmān).
Kṛṣṇa uses the word ‘kāma’ at the start of 7.20—kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ. Here, kāma does not refer to illicit sexual desire, as the English word ‘lust’ commonly suggests. Rather, it refers to the desire for material prosperity and enjoyment that is within the bounds of dharma. Kāma can be dharmic, and kāma can be adharmic.
Kṛṣṇa says labhate ca tataḥ kāmān mayāiva vihitān hi tān—they obtain these results from Me alone. Even if they do not recognize it right now, it is Kṛṣṇa who is empowering the devatās to grant those benedictions.
By worshipping the devatās, the soul’s consciousness gradually begins to expand. The worshiper starts acknowledging that there is a higher authority and that the fulfillment of even material needs requires the appeasement of that higher authority. Without such acknowledgment and appeasement, even one’s worldly desires cannot be fulfilled. This recognition itself becomes a step forward in the evolution of the soul’s consciousness—an evolution that ultimately culminates in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Kṛṣṇa facilitates this system of demigod worship, allowing souls to progress gradually. Yet, this system also has its limitations, and those limitations will be discussed in the next verse.
Thank you.
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