Chapter 7, Verse 22
स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते | लभते च ततः कामान्मयैव विहितान्हि तान् ||७-२२||
sa tayā śraddhayā yuktastasyārādhanamīhate . labhate ca tataḥ kāmānmayaivavihitānhi tān ||7-22||
Meaning
7.22 Endowed with that faith, he engages in the worship of that (form) and from it he obtains his desire, these being verily ordained by Me (alone).
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna completes the thought of the previous verse. Strengthened in faith, the devotee worships their chosen form and indeed receives the fruits they sought. But He adds a quiet, decisive clarification: those fruits are 'ordained by Me alone.' Whatever blessing flows from any worship, it is finally Krishna who grants it, working through every form the devotee adores.
This reframes all worship as ultimately addressed to the one Source. The lesser deity is, as it were, a window through which the single Light shines. The devotee may not yet realise this, but the truth holds: every answered prayer is the Divine's own gift. For the discerning seeker, the lesson is to look past the many forms to the one Bestower behind them — and so to direct devotion to its true and inexhaustible source.
💡 Key Takeaway
Every blessing you receive, by whatever path, is ultimately the gift of the one Source behind all forms.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच | मय्यासक्तमनाः पार्थ योगं युञ्जन्मदाश्रयः | असंशयं समग्रं मां यथा ज्ञास्यसि तच्छृणु ||७-१||
śrībhagavānuvāca . mayyāsaktamanāḥ pārtha yogaṃ yuñjanmadāśrayaḥ . asaṃśayaṃ samagraṃ māṃ yathā jñāsyasi tacchṛṇu ||7-1||
7.1 The Blessed Lord said O Arjuna, hear how you shall without doubt know Me fully, with the mind intent on Me, practising Yoga and taking refuge in Me.
ज्ञानं तेऽहं सविज्ञानमिदं वक्ष्याम्यशेषतः | यज्ज्ञात्वा नेह भूयोऽन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमवशिष्यते ||७-२||
jñānaṃ te.ahaṃ savijñānamidaṃ vakṣyāmyaśeṣataḥ . yajjñātvā neha bhūyo.anyajjñātavyamavaśiṣyate ||7-2||
7.2 I shall declare to thee in full this knowledge combined with realisation, after knowing which nothing more here remains to be known.
मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये | यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ||७-३||
manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścidyatati siddhaye . yatatāmapi siddhānāṃ kaścinmāṃ vetti tattvataḥ ||7-3||
7.3 Among thousands of men, one perchance strives for perfection; even among those successful strivers, only one perchance knows Me in essence.