BHAGAVAD-GITA 7:21

[Guest guest]

BHAGAVAD-GITA 7:21

 

yo yo yam yam tanum bhaktah

sraddhayarcitum icchati

tasya tasyacalam sraddham

tam eva vidadhamy aham

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

yah yah--whoever; yam yam--whichever; tanum--form of a demigod;

bhaktah--devotee; sraddhaya--with faith; arcitum--to worship;

icchati--desires; tasya tasya--to him; acalam--steady;

sraddham--faith; tam--that; eva--surely; vidadhami--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.

 

PURPORT

 

God has given independence to everyone; therefore, if a person desires

to have material enjoyment and wants very sincerely to have such

facilities from the material demigods, the Supreme Lord, as Supersoul

in everyone's heart, understands and gives facilities to such persons.

As the supreme father of all living entities, He does not interfere

with their independence, but gives all facilities so that they can

fulfill their material desires. Some may ask why the all-powerful God

gives facilities to the living entities for enjoying this material

world and so lets them fall into the trap of the illusory energy. The

answer is that if the Supreme Lord as Supersoul does not give such

facilities, then there is no meaning to independence. Therefore He

gives everyone full independence--whatever one likes--but His ultimate

instruction we find in the Bhagavad-gita: one should give up all other

engagements and fully surrender unto Him. That will make man happy.

 

Both the living entity and the demigods are subordinate to the will of

the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore the living entity cannot

worship the demigod by his own desire, nor can the demigod bestow any

benediction without the supreme will. As it is said, not a blade of

grass moves without the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Generally, persons who are distressed in the material world go to the

demigods, as they are advised in the Vedic literature. A person

wanting some particular thing may worship such and such a demigod. For

example, a diseased person is recommended to worship the sun-god; a

person wanting education may worship the goddess of learning,

Sarasvati; and a person wanting a beautiful wife may worship the

goddess Uma, the wife of Lord Siva. In this way there are

recommendations in the sastras (Vedic scriptures) for different modes

of worship of different demigods. And because a particular living

entity wants to enjoy a particular material facility, the Lord

inspires him with a strong desire to achieve that benediction from

that particular demigod, and so he successfully receives the

benediction. The particular mode of the devotional attitude of the

living entity toward a particular type of demigod is also arranged by

the Supreme Lord. The demigods cannot infuse the living entities with

such an affinity, but because He is the Supreme Lord, or the Supersoul

who is present in the hearts of all living entities, Krsna gives

impetus to man to worship certain demigods. The demigods are actually

different parts of the universal body of the Supreme Lord; therefore

they have no independence. In the Vedic literature it is stated: "The

Supreme Personality of Godhead as Supersoul is also present within the

heart of the demigod; therefore He arranges through the demigod to

fulfill the desire of the living entity. But both the demigod and the

living entity are dependent on the supreme will. They are not

independent."

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.