कामैस्तैस्तैर्हृतज्ञानाः प्रपद्यन्तेऽन्यदेवताः | तं तं नियममास्थाय प्रकृत्या नियताः स्वया ||२०||
kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante'nya-devatāḥ | taṃ taṃ niyamam āsthāya prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā || 20 ||
Wisdom stolen by desire: they worship other deities, following various rites, driven by their own nature.
Word by word (3)
- kāmaiḥ taiḥ taiḥ hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante anya-devatāḥ
- — those whose wisdom has been stolen by this or that desire take refuge in other deities · kāmaiḥ = by desires (instrumental plural — the agent of the action). taiḥ taiḥ = by this or that (reduplication expressing variety — 'by various desires,' 'by one desire or another'). hṛta = stolen, carried away (past participle of √hṛ — the same root as V15's 'apahṛta-jñāna' — knowledge stolen by māyā; here specifically by desires). jñānāḥ = whose knowledge (compound: kāmaiḥ taiḥ taiḥ hṛta-jñānāḥ = whose knowledge has been stolen/led away by various desires). prapadyante = take refuge (the same prapatti verb as V14 and V16 — now applied to other deities, not to Krishna). anya-devatāḥ = other deities (anya = other; devatā = deity — not the Supreme but subordinate deities who govern specific powers, realms, or aspects of existence).
- taṃ taṃ niyamam āsthāya — prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā
- — following this or that observance — constrained by their own nature · taṃ taṃ = this and that (reduplication — various, this or that). niyamam = observance, rule, vow (niyama = religious rule, observance, discipline — specific ritual practices associated with specific deities). āsthāya = following, resorting to (āsthāya = having taken one's stand on, having resorted to). prakṛtyā = by nature (instrumental — prakṛti in the sense of one's own nature, character, constitution). niyatāḥ = constrained, regulated, governed (niyata = ruled by, controlled by — past participle of ni + √yam). svayā = their own (possessive — their own nature). The mechanism: desires lead away the discrimination (hṛta-jñāna); the desire-guided person follows specific observances (niyama) associated with specific deities; and this is driven by their own nature (svayā prakṛtyā). V20 is descriptive, not condemnatory: this is how it works for those whose discriminating knowledge has been led away by specific desires.
- hṛta-jñānāḥ vs. apahṛta-jñānāḥ — V20 and V15 in parallel
- — in V15, māyā steals knowledge; in V20, desires steal knowledge — the same mechanism from two angles · V15 described those who cannot take refuge: 'māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ' (whose knowledge has been stolen by māyā). V20 describes those who take refuge in OTHER deities: 'kāmais taiḥ taiḥ hṛta-jñānāḥ' (whose knowledge has been stolen by various desires). The two verses form a pair: māyā (V15) and kāma/desires (V20) are the two agents that divert the discriminating knowledge that would lead to the Supreme. In both cases, the knowledge that would enable recognition of the ground (V19's 'vāsudevaḥ sarvam') is compromised. The result: V15's persons cannot take refuge at all; V20's persons take refuge in partial deities. Both are consequences of divided, desire-led knowledge.
V20 describes the counterpart to V16-19's path: while the four sukṛtina types (V16) worship Krishna, those whose discriminating knowledge has been led away by various desires (kāmais taiḥ taiḥ hṛta-jñānāḥ) take refuge in other deities (anya-devatāḥ), following this or that observance (taṃ taṃ niyamam), driven by their own nature (svayā prakṛtyā). V20 is descriptive: this is the mechanism by which specific desires divert spiritual orientation toward partial deities.
A modern analogy
A person who is deeply motivated by the desire for a particular outcome (health, wealth, success, a relationship) may seek out any spiritual, religious, or practical framework that promises to deliver that outcome. Their discriminating wisdom — which might lead them to ask 'what is the highest good?' — is led away by the specific desire. They follow various practices (niyama) associated with whatever deity or system is associated with their desired outcome. V20 describes this mechanism without condemning it.
What it does NOT mean
V20 is NOT a condemnation of all worship of other deities. The subsequent verses (V21-22) will clarify that Krishna himself establishes the faith of those who worship other deities — and those deities do grant their devotees the benefits they seek. V20 identifies the mechanism (desires leading away wisdom) but does not declare the worship invalid or fruitless. It is a description of the path's limitation (transient rewards) rather than an invalidation.
Take with you
- V20 invites self-examination: what desires are currently leading away my discriminating wisdom (hṛta-jñāna)? The desire for a specific outcome, for safety, for recognition — when these desires are strong, they can divert spiritual orientation toward means (deities or practices associated with those outcomes) rather than the Ground itself.
- V20's 'svayā prakṛtyā niyatāḥ' (constrained by their own nature) is important: the choice of other deities is not arbitrary but is driven by the person's own nature and desires. This means the path is individual — each person's desires and nature determine their spiritual orientation. The teaching of V16-19 is to transform the orientation from desire-driven (V20) to wisdom-rooted (V19's 'vāsudevaḥ sarvam').
- V20 + V21-22 read together: V20 gives the mechanism (desire-led); V21 gives Krishna's response (He strengthens the faith of those who worship other deities); V22 gives the outcome (the devotees of other deities receive benefits from those deities). The Gita does not dismiss the other paths but shows they lead to partial, transient results (V23).
V20 closes the V16-20 teaching arc by giving the contrast to V16-19's sukṛtina typology: those not on the path toward 'vāsudevaḥ sarvam' (V19) but on the path of desire-led worship of other deities. The verse uses the same vocabulary as V15 (hṛta-jñāna parallels V15's apahṛta-jñāna) and V19's path (prapadyante parallels V14's prapatti) to show the contrast: same faculty (discriminating knowledge), same act (prapatti/taking refuge), different direction (other deities vs. Krishna). The Gita's position on other deities is carefully balanced: V20 acknowledges that desire-led wisdom directs people toward specific deities; V21 will say Krishna establishes the faith of those devotees in their chosen deities; V22 will say the deities grant the specific benefits; V23 will note the limitation: those benefits are transient (antavat). The overall teaching: worship of other deities for specific ends is genuine and produces genuine results — but partial and temporary. Only the orientation toward the Supreme (Krishna/Vāsudeva as the ground of all) produces the recognition of V19 and the crossing of māyā. This is not religious exclusivism but a philosophical description of the relationship between partial and complete spiritual orientation: the partial is real but limited; the complete is the ground of the partial.
Advaita lens
Shankaracharya: the 'other deities' (anya-devatāḥ) are ultimately expressions of the one Brahman. When one worships them, one worships Brahman indirectly. But the worship, being mediated through a partial form and motivated by specific desires, produces partial results. V20 describes the mechanism; V23 gives the Gita's verdict on the result: transient benefits for transient practice.
Bhakti lens
For bhakti traditions, V20's 'hṛta-jñāna' (stolen wisdom) is the condition that bhakti's complete surrender (prapatti) corrects: when the heart's orientation is completely toward the Lord (mām eva prapadyante, V14), the desires that previously stole discriminating wisdom are gradually released, and the orientation shifts from partial deities (for partial desires) to the One (as the Ground). V20 is the pre-bhakti condition; V14 is the path; V19 is the destination.
Karma-Yoga lens
V20's 'constrained by their own nature' (svayā prakṛtyā niyatāḥ) is the karma yoga starting point: action driven by one's own nature and desires, without the conscious offering to the Divine. Karma yoga begins to redirect this: action is offered to the Divine rather than to desired outcomes. Over many acts of offering, the 'svayā prakṛtyā' (own nature's constraints) gradually loosen as the Divine's orientation replaces the desire-orientation.
Modern parallels
V20's mechanism — desires leading away discriminating wisdom, directing the practitioner toward means that promise to satisfy the desires — is the basis of all transactional religion and much of motivational spirituality. The practitioner who approaches the Divine primarily for what the Divine can provide is in V20's mode. The movement toward V19's 'vāsudevaḥ sarvam' is the movement from transactional to transformational spirituality.
Practice
V20 and V19 compared: sit in stillness. Notice any desire that is organizing the meditation session (seeking peace, seeking insight, seeking relief). Then set it aside — not suppress it but place it in the background. Rest in the recognition: 'Vāsudeva is the Ground of this meditation, of this desire, of this moment.' The movement from desire-in-foreground (V20) to recognition-of-Ground (V19) is the practice.
Public-domain translations (6) compare all →
Those whose wisdom has been led away by this or that desire resort to other Gods, engaged in this or that rite, constrained by their own nature. [1]
Others again, deprived of discrimination by this or that desire, following this or that rite, devote themselves to other gods, led by their own natures. [4]
Men whose wisdom has been rent away by desires go to other Gods, observing various rites, constrained by their own nature. [5]
Men whose understanding has been misled by various desires go to other minor gods, and practising this or that external rite, are driven by their own natures. [6]
Nathless, those other worshippers who follow after other Gods, and bring to them devotion and sacrifice, these also worship Me, though not in the greater way. [7]
Others again, whose discrimination has been led astray by desires, devoted to various gods, follow various rules, constrained by their own natures. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
The evildoer, the deluded, the lowest of men, those whose knowledge māyā has stolen — these do not take refuge in Me.
Whatever form a devotee seeks to worship with śraddhā — that very faith I make unwavering.
The fruit of those of little understanding is finite — god-worshippers go to the gods; My devotees come to Me.
Brahman-become, serene, neither grieving nor desiring, equal to all beings — he attains supreme bhakti to Me.
With that faith, the devotee worships that deity and gains the desired objects — these being dispensed by Me alone.
Taking refuge in ego, power, arrogance, kāma, krodha — they hate Me in their own bodies and in others.