स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते |
लभते च तत: कामान्मयैव विहितान्हि तान् || 22||
sa tayā śhraddhayā yuktas tasyārādhanam īhate
labhate cha tataḥ kāmān mayaiva vihitān hi tān
saḥ—he; tayā—with that; śhraddhayā—faith; yuktaḥ—endowed with; tasya—of that; ārādhanam—worship; īhate—tries to engage in; labhate—obtains; cha—and; tataḥ—from that; kāmān—desires; mayā—by me; eva—alone; vihitān—granted; hi—certainly; tān—those
Translation:
Possessed of that faith, he worships that form and from it attains his desires, which are, in reality, granted by Me alone.
Commentary:
Whatever rewards the devotee obtains by faithful worship of the Devas, all of them are ordained by the Lord Himself. So, though the rewards appear to flow from any particular Deity, they have their source in the Lord and are determined by Him alone. The Lord is the highest authority in this universal Government. Indra, Varuna, Vasu, Agni and other Devas are functionaries occupying different positions and wielding different powers. All these are determined by the Lord Himself. These elemental forces act according to His will. They derive their power, position and authority from Him. Their field of work, the nature and extent of their power, what they can do the whole system is ordained by the Lord. So, any gift received from any Deva (Indra, Varuna or Kubera etc.) comes from the Lord and is ordained by Him. The wise man approaches the Lord Himself, and the partially wise seek fulfillment from other Devas who are but agents of the different powers of God Himself.
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ELDERLY SWAMI OF KERALA — FAITH AND DEVOTION
Spiritually, our faith or devotion is more important than the object of our worship. What is within us is more intimate than what is outside. A pertinent conversation with an elderly swami of Kerala comes to mind. The revered swami spoke about the wrongful conduct of a famous spiritual leader. As we were conversing thus, a person came in and introduced himself as a follower of that same leader. With heightened emotion and love, he described the greatness of his guru to Swamiji. The Swamiji too listened to his words with much love, with both his palms joined in reverence. I (Sri Ramanacharanatirtha Nochur Venkataraman) looked on with wonder.
Once the person had left, a devotee asked Swamiji, “Just a few moments ago, you were criticising that leader but now you just listened to this devotee singing his praises. How could you listen to his words without getting disturbed?” Swamiji said, “Why should I get disturbed? I was just worshipping his faith, his devotion. That is a great wealth. I am not concerned about whom he is devoted to. For me, devotion is God; worshipping is God.” Yes, this is the secret of spiritual life. (Source: Srimad Bhagavad Gita – Elixir of Eternal Wisdom | Vol 1)
Question: What does the devotee do?
Answer: He worships the Devas with faith.
Question: What does he obtain by it?
Answer: The fulfillment of his desires.
Question: Who ordains the law of worship and reward?
Answer: The Supreme Being – So, it is from Him that the devotee receives the rewards of his to worship through the medium of different Devas.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 7 🔻 (30 Verses)
