Sanskrit
स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते । लभते च ततः कामान्मयैव विहितान्हि तान् ॥ २२ ॥
sa tayā śraddhayā yuktas tasyārādhanam īhate labhate ca tataḥ kāmān mayaiva vihitān hi tān
Translation
He endowed with that faith, seeketh the worship of such a one, and from him he obtaineth his desires, I verily decreeing the benefits;
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Continues verse 21’s account mechanically: faith leads to worship, worship to results, and Krishna is explicit that he is the one “verily decreeing the benefits” even when the nominal recipient is a different deity. The system is unified even where the devotee’s own understanding of it isn’t. Mayaiva vihitān — “dispensed by Me alone” — closes the loop: the fruits of worship aimed at any deity come through Krishna. The devotee’s map is wrong; the territory is still his. Faith works because of what it connects to, not what it names.
Study deeper
Word by word
- sa tayā śraddhayā yuktasस तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्
- he, endowed with that faith (saḥ + tayā + śraddhayā + yuktaḥ)
- tasyārādhanam īhateतस्याराधनं ईहते
- strives to propitiate that [deity] (tasya + ārādhanam + īhate)
- labhate ca tataḥ kāmānलभते च ततः कामान्
- and from it obtains his desires (labhate + ca + tataḥ + kāmān)
- mayaiva vihitān hi tānमयैव विहितान् हि तान्
- granted by Me alone, indeed (mayā + eva + vihitān + hi + tān)
Commentary
Site Commentary
Krishna could easily have let the other gods take the credit here and stayed silent about the actual mechanism — instead he interrupts to insist he’s the one “decreeing the benefits” even when a devotee has no idea that’s true. Claiming authorship of an outcome someone else believes they earned elsewhere isn’t a boast in this context, it’s closer to a disclosure: the system worked, even though the person operating within it misunderstood which system it was.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When something works out well for you, look past the surface explanation you're telling yourself for why, to the actual mechanism underneath — discipline, timing, groundwork laid earlier — even if you're currently crediting something else entirely. Understanding the real cause matters more than which story currently gets the credit.
Professional
- When a project succeeds, trace the actual cause of the outcome rather than settling for whatever the team currently believes made the difference — the real driver, a process change or an earlier decision, often isn't the one getting credited, and knowing the difference matters for repeating the success.
Family & Social
- When a family tradition or gesture brings someone comfort, it's fine to let them enjoy it without correcting their account of why — but privately, know the real source of what's helping them. Understanding the true mechanism matters more than winning the credit for it.
Ask yourself
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