ananyāś cintayanto māḿ
ye janāḥ paryupāsate
teṣāḿ nityābhiyuktānāḿ
yoga-kṣemaḿ vahāmy aham
Translation of Bhagavad Gita 9.22
But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.
Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
One who is unable to live for a moment without Krishna consciousness cannot but think of Krishna twenty-four hours a day, being engaged in devotional service by hearing, chanting, remembering, offering prayers, worshiping, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, rendering other services, cultivating friendship and surrendering fully to the Lord. Such activities are all auspicious and full of spiritual potencies, which make the devotee perfect in self-realization, so that his only desire is to achieve the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such a devotee undoubtedly approaches the Lord without difficulty. This is called yoga. By the mercy of the Lord, such a devotee never comes back to this material condition of life. Kshema refers to the merciful protection of the Lord. The Lord helps the devotee to achieve Krishna consciousness by yoga, and when he becomes fully Krishna conscious the Lord protects him from falling down to a miserable conditioned life.
Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
The happiness of my ananya bhaktas however, is given by me, not obtained by pious acts. They are constantly (nityam) versed in, learned in this (abhiyuktanam) and are ignorant of all other things. Or the phrase can mean that they constantly desire to be in my association. I take care of their attainment of wealth (yoga) and their maintenance (ksemam), though they do not expect such things. To say that the Lord simply does these things would be unsuitable. Thus the word “carry,” vahami is used. The use of the word vahami indicates that the Lord bears the burden of maintaining their bodies, in the manner that the householder takes the responsibility for maintaining his own wife and children. One should not say that, like others, their attainment or preservation of bodily needs is due to karma.
“Still, since you are atma rama, enjoying within, and indifferent to all things as the Supreme Lord, where is the question of you bearing it?”
The sruti says:
bhaktir asya bhajanam tad ihamutropadhi-nairasyenamusmin
manah-kalpanam etad eva naiskarmyam
Bhakti is worship of the Lord, concentrating the mind on him, renouncing all material desires for enjoyment (upadhi) in this world and the next. It destroys all karmas. Gopala Tapani Upanisad, Purva 1.15
Because my ananya devotee has no karma due to lack of desire (naiskarmayam), his happiness is given by me. Though I am indifferent to all else, I have great affection for my devotee. This is the cause.
One should also not say that in giving the burden of their maintenance to their worshipable Lord, the devotees show lack of prema. In fact, they do not give to me that burden. I, by my own will, accept it. It should also be understood that I am not bearing it as a duty, as I create and maintain the universe by my will alone. Rather, being attached to my devotees, 1 take the greatest pleasure in taking care of their needs, like carrying the weight of one’s lover.
Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya:
9.22 There are Mahatmas who, excluding everything else and having no other purpose, meditate on Me as their only purpose, because without Me they are unable to sustain themselves. They think of Me and worship Me with all my auspicious attributes and with all my glories. In the case of such devotees aspiring after eternal union with Me, I Myself undertake the responsibility of bringing them to Myself (Yoga translated as ‘prosperity’) and of preserving them in that state for ever (Ksema translated as ‘welfare’). The meaning is that they do not return to Samsara.
Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya:
This verse clearly and distinctly confirms that the devotees of the Supreme Lord Krishna who are completely absorbed in reflecting upon Him and who have no other desire then pleasing Him by activities or by meditation are blessed by His grace to the degree that their welfare, their maintenance, their protection, their achievement of moksa or liberation from the cycle of birth and death as well as their ascension to Him in the eternal spiritual realms are all sanctioned and arranged by the Supreme Lord Himself for His exclusive devotees who never even think of asking anything in return for what they offer with devotional love.
Commentary by Sri Madhvacharya of Brahma Sampradaya:
The word ananyas means exclusivity. It refers to those who are always focused on the qualities and pastimes of the Supreme Lord Krishna or any of His authorised incarnations and expansions revealed in Vedic scriptures. The Gautama Parva states: Renouncing all desires in the mind, when nothing else remains other than remembrance of the pure, primeval Supreme Lord they the meditators who possess equanimity in all respects are verily ananya and attain Him. In the Moksa Dharma it states: That by Superior desire for the Supreme Lord with all faculties and senses concentrated in communion with Him time and space is transcended and it is possible to perceive the Supreme Lord within the heart enveloped in a halo of light.
Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya:
It has been clearly established by Lord Krishna that those who perform Vedic rituals with self interest motives are unable to extricate themselves from samsara or the endless cycle of birth and death. Whereas the devotees of the Supreme Lord Krishna being completely free from self interest and ulterior motives accomplish the four goals of human existence artha or wealth, kama or pleasure, dharma or righteousness and moksa or liberation by the grace of the Supreme Lord Himself. The word ananyas meaning exclusive denotes that such devotees have no other goal than the Supreme Lord, thinking only of service to Him day and night with full heart and soul. But because they are so fully devoted to Him they sometimes fail to take care of the realities of the body, senses and mind and so in this case the Supreme Lord arranges for their maintenance Himself supplying the necessities they need to exist. He also protects them in all respects from any situation that may obstruct their attainment of Him before the end of their life.
Commentary by Sri Adi Shankaracharya of Advaita Sampradaya:
9.22 On the other hand, ye janah, those persons, the monks, who are desireless and fully illumined; who ananyah, becoming non-different (from Me), having realized the supreme Deity, Narayana, as their own Self; and cintayantah, becoming meditative; [‘Having known that I, Vasudeva, am the Self of all, and there is nothing else besides Me’.] paryu-pasate mam, worship Me everywhere; [‘They see Me the one, all-pervading, infinite Reality.’] tesam, for them; who have realized the supreme Truth, nitya-abhiyuktanam, who are ever attached (to Me); aham, I; vahami, arrange for; both yoga-kesamam, securing what they lack and preserving what they have. Yoga means making available what one does not have, and ksema means the protection of what one has got. Since ‘but the man of Knowledge is the very Self. (This is) My opinion’ and ‘he too is dear to Me’ (7.17,18), therefore they have become My own Self as also dear. Does not the Lord surely arrange for securing what they lack and protecting what they have even in the case of other devotees? This is true. He does arrange for it. But the difference lies in this: Others who are devotees make their own efforts as well for their own sake, to arrange for securing what they lack and protecting what they have. On the contrary, those who have realized non-duality do not make any effrot to arrange for themselves the acquisition of what they do not have and the preservation of what they have. Indeed, they desire nothing for themselves, in life or in death. They have taken refuge only in the Lord. Therefore the Lord Himself arranges to procure what they do not have and protect what they have got. ‘If you Yourself are the other gods even, then do not their devotees too worship You alone?’ ‘Quite so!’
Commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta of Kaula Tantra Sampradaya:
9.22 Ananyah etc. [See for example] those who are different [from the above mentioned] and who think of Me. How [do they think] ? They have nothing else : They have no other fruit apart from Me to desire for. Acquisition : gaining (realising) My nature not gained (realised) earlier. Security of acquisition : protection of the already achieved gain of being well established in the nature of the Bhagavat. On account of this there may not be even a doubt regarding the fall from the Yoga. This is the idea here.
Sanskrit Shloka Without Transliteration Marks:
ananyas cintayanto mam
ye janah paryupasate
tesam nityabhiyuktanam
yoga-ksemam vahamy aham
Sanskrit to English Word for Word Meanings:
ananyāḥ — having no other object; cintayantaḥ — concentrating; mām — on Me; ye — those who; janāḥ — persons; paryupāsate — properly worship; teṣām — of them; nitya — always; abhiyuktānām — fixed in devotion; yoga — requirements; kṣemam — protection; vahāmi — carry; aham — I.
