sa tayā śraddhayā yuktas
tasyārādhanam īhate
labhate ca tataḥ kāmān
mayaiva vihitān hi tān
Translation of Bhagavad Gita 7.22
Endowed with such a faith, he endeavors to worship a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone.
Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
The demigods cannot award benedictions to their devotees without the permission of the Supreme Lord. The living entity may forget that everything is the property of the Supreme Lord, but the demigods do not forget. So the worship of demigods and achievement of desired results are due not to the demigods but to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by arrangement. The less intelligent living entity does not know this, and therefore he foolishly goes to the demigods for some benefit. But the pure devotee, when in need of something, prays only to the Supreme Lord. Asking for material benefit, however, is not a sign of a pure devotee. A living entity goes to the demigods usually because he is mad to fulfill his lust. This happens when something undue is desired by the living entity and the Lord Himself does not fulfill the desire. In the Caitanya-caritamrita it is said that one who worships the Supreme Lord and at the same time desires material enjoyment is contradictory in his desires. Devotional service to the Supreme Lord and the worship of a demigod cannot be on the same platform, because worship of a demigod is material and devotional service to the Supreme Lord is completely spiritual.
For the living entity who desires to return to Godhead, material desires are impediments. A pure devotee of the Lord is therefore not awarded the material benefits desired by less intelligent living entities, who therefore prefer to worship demigods of the material world rather than engage in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord.
Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
That person, endowed with that faith, performs (ihate) worship of that devata. He obtains the results of that worship (kaman) from the worship of that particular devata. But those devatas cannot fulfill those desires. It is I who fulfill those desires.
Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya:
7.22 He, endowed with that faith without obstacles, performs the worship of Indra and other divinities. Thence, i.e., from the worship of Indra and other divinities, who constitute My body, he attains the objects of his desire, which are in reality granted by Me alone. Although he does not know at the time of worship that divinities like Indra, who are his objects of worship, are My body only, and that worship of them is My worship, still, inasmuch as this worship is, in reality, My worship, he attains his objects of desire granted by Me alone.
Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya:
The word yuktah meaning endowed is referring to the previous verse where Lord Krishna makes the faith steady. Such people then worship their chosen demigod to get their particular desire of objects coveted fulfilled. But it should be understood that whatever it was that has been fulfilled has only been granted by the will of the Supreme Lord, who is paramatma the Supreme Soul dwelling inside the hearts of all the demigods and are but parts of His form, under His complete control along with all sentient beings in existence.
Commentary by Sri Madhvacharya of Brahma Sampradaya:
Sri Madhvacharya did not comment on this sloka.
Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya:
Endowed with firm faith by the Supreme Lord, one supplicating the demi-gods who is desirous of rewards obtains those desired rewards which undoubtedly were destined by gratifying them. But as declared in the Vedic scriptures: It is the Supreme Lord who is the controller of all actions, abode of all beings and the only creator, preserver and destroyer of all creation; yet possessing no material qualities and free from maya. Salutations to Him the veritable goal of all worship. It is by the potency of the Supreme Lord that universal order is maintained and He is well known as the bestower of all rewards. If one were to wonder that if a votary paying homage to the demigods gets their cherished desires fulfilled by them independently then how does the Supreme Lord contribute to this. Lord Krishna answers this with the word mayaiva meaning by Him alone. As the Supreme soul within every sentient being, all actions and all rewards are ordained solely by Him.
Commentary by Sri Adi Shankaracharya of Advaita Sampradaya:
7.22 Yuktah,being endued; taya, with that; sraddhaya, faith, as granted by Me; sah, that person; ihate, engages in; radhanam, i.e. aradhanam, worshipping; tasyah, that form of the deity. And labhate, he gets; tan hi, those very; kaman, desired results; tatah, there-from, from that form of the deity which was worshipped; as vihitan, they are dispensed, meted out; maya eva, by Me alone, who am the omniscient, supreme God, because I am possessed of the knowledge of the apportionment of the results of actions. The meaning his that he surely gets those desired results since they are ordained by God. If the reading be hitan (instead of hi tan), then the beneficence (-hita means beneficent-) of the desired result should be interpreted in a figurative sense, for desires cannot be beneficial to anyone!
Commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta of Kaula Tantra Sampradaya:
7.20-23 Kamaih etc. upto man api. On the other hand, those persons, whose minds are conditioned by a variety of their own respective desires for the best and so on (or the desires that may be classified as the best and so on) – they have thier thinking faculty carried away by their desires, and worship a particular deity who possesses nothing but My intermediate body that suits only to those devotees’ desires. Hence, they obtain their desired result from Me alone. But, that result has an end of its own, because it is limited by the mental impressions of their own. Therefore those who perform sacrifice etc., with the aim of becming Indra etc., (or of attaining the houses of Indra etc.) gain their desired fruit accordingly. On the other hand, those whose chief aim is to attain Me, they gain Me alone. But, while the Absolute-being is immanent in all, how is it that the fruit achieved by the worshippers of other deities is limited ? The answer is given as :
Sanskrit Shloka Without Transliteration Marks:
sa taya sraddhaya yuktas
tasyaradhanam ihate
labhate ca tatah kaman
mayaiva vihitan hi tan
Sanskrit to English Word for Word Meanings:
saḥ — he; tayā — with that; śraddhayā — inspiration; yuktaḥ — endowed; tasya — of that demigod; ārādhanam — for the worship; īhate — he aspires; labhate — obtains; ca — and; tataḥ — from that; kāmān — his desires; mayā — by Me; eva — alone; vihitān — arranged; hi — certainly; tān — those.
