Bhagavad Gita BG 7.22
Chapter 7, Verse 22 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस् तस्याराधनमीहते । लभते च ततः कामान् मयैव विहितान्हि तान् ॥
sa taya shraddhaya yuktas tasyaradhanam ihate labhate ca tatah kaman mayaiva vihitan hi tan
Meaning
Endowed with that faith, he seeks the propitiation of that (deity), and from it he obtains his desires — those desires that are actually ordained by Me alone.
Understanding
This verse is the resolution of a profound teaching begun in 7.20-21. Those whose understanding is 'stolen by desires' (kama-apahrita-jnana) worship other devas. Krishna reveals (7.21) that He Himself makes that faith firm (shraddham tanot). Now verse 22 completes the picture: armed with that faith (taya shraddhaya yuktas), the worshipper seeks the propitiation (aradhanam) of that deity (tasyah) and obtains (labhate) the desires (kaman) from that. But the critical, almost hidden revelation is the final line: 'mayaiva vihitan hi tan' — those (desires and their fruits) are actually ordained (vihitan) by Me alone (mayaiva). The 'hi' (indeed/certainly) emphasizes this: whatever fruit any deity seems to grant — it is actually Krishna dispensing it through that deity's form. This teaching collapses any notion of a universe in which other powers operate independently of the Supreme. All faith, all worship, all results — ultimately flow through Krishna. Not because other paths are false, but because all paths lead back to the single source that dispenses all fruits.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| श्रद्धया युक्तः | shraddhaya yuktah | endowed with faith, armed with that faith |
| आराधनम् | aradhanam | propitiation, worship, seeking the favour of |
| ईहते | ihate | seeks, desires, endeavors for |
| कामान् | kaman | desires, wishes, objects of craving |
| मयैव विहितान् | mayaiva vihitan | ordained by Me alone (maya = by Me, eva = alone/only, vihitan = ordained/dispensed) |
| सः | saḥ | he |
| तया | tayā | with that |
| श्रद्धया | śraddhayā | with faith |
| युक्तः | yuktaḥ | endowed with, possessed of |
| तस्य | tasya | his |
| आराधनम् | ārādhanam | worship, propitiation |
| लभते | labhate | obtains, gains |
| च | ca | and |
| ततः | tataḥ | from that, thereby |
| कामान् | kāmān | desires |
| मयैव | mayaiva | by Me alone |
| विहितान् | vihitān | ordained, granted |
| हि | hi | indeed |
| तान् | tān | those |