CH 7, Verse 20

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Chapter 7

Verse 20

 

Kaamais tais tair hrit-ajnaanaah

prapadyante'nya-devataah /

tam tam niyamam aasthaaya prakrityaa niyataah svayaa

//

 

 

Deprived of discrimination by this or that desire,

(people) resort to other deities, following this or

that rite, led by their own nature.

 

LESSONS FROM BHAGAVAD GITA – 74

As taught by Parama Pujya Sri Swamiji

Compiled by: Swami Dattananda

Bhaktimala, December 1999

 

The Lord declares: "at the end of many births (of

striving) the man of wisdom attains Me." It may be

asked why a devotee is not able to reach Godhood in a

single birth. The reason is that absolute

non-attachment and freedom from passion cannot be

attained all of a sudden. And without these two, no

one can reach the highest plane of spiritual

development. It is a process of evolution and one has

to proceed step by step. When one reaches the last

stage of evolution, he gets the vision of God. The

dawn of knowledge proclaims the end of his struggle.

Then he realizes that the Lord pervades the entire

universe. This whole world is full with ‘Vasudeva,’

the Supreme Lord. Such a great soul is very rare to

find. There are many who worship the Lord to get some

benefits to gratify their selfish desires. But a

devotee who sees the Lord everywhere is very difficult

to find. This is the idea.

 

"Deprived of discrimination by this or that desire,

(people) resort to other deities, following this or

that rite, led by their own nature" (Chapter 7, Verse

20).

 

Ordinary people have a number of desires and they

direct all their efforts towards the fulfillment of

those desires. A desire arises in the mind and as soon

as it is fulfilled, another one arises. Like this, one

after another, desires crop up in the mind and there

is no end to it. And it is for the fulfillment of

these desires that people make use of their

intelligence and energy and run about here and there

seeking objects of their desire. Thus, they are always

busy and restless. They have no time to think about

their own soul or soul-progress. They are people whose

discrimination is destroyed by their desires (kaamaih

hritajnaanaah.)

 

They worship other divinities (prapadyante anya

devataah) seeking their blessings and favor in the

gratification of their desires. These divinities or

deities are lower in order and are of different

nature. Some are good in nature because the element of

Sattva is dominating in them. Others are active by

nature due to the dominance of Rajas in them and in

those deities in whom the element of Tamas is

predominant are given to sloth and inactivity. People

choose and worship deities in accordance with the

influence exercised over them by their own nature or

tendencies (prakrityaa nityatah svayaa.)

 

 

 

 

 

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