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 || 22 ||
With that faith, the devotee worships that deity and gains the desired objects — these being dispensed by Me alone.
Word by word (3)
- sa tayā śraddhayā yuktaḥ tasyā ārādhanam īhate
- — endued with that faith, that devotee engages in worship of that deity · sa = that one (the devotee of V21). tayā = with that (the same śraddhā just described — the faith made unwavering by the Supreme in V21). śraddhayā = with faith (instrumental). yuktaḥ = endued with, equipped with, united with (the same 'yukta' root as yoga — here describing the devotee as equipped/unified with the śraddhā). tasyā = of that (the same deity chosen). ārādhanam = worship, adoration (ārādhana = the act of worship — from ā + √rādh = to satisfy, to please; ārādhana = the complete act of honoring/pleasing a deity). īhate = engages in, endeavors (from √īh = to strive for, to engage in). The sequence from V21-22: Supreme makes the faith unwavering (V21) → devotee, with that unwavering faith, worships the chosen deity (V22a).
- labhate ca tataḥ kāmān mayā eva vihitān hi tān
- — and from it gains the desired objects — these being verily dispensed by Me alone · labhate = gains, obtains (from √labh = to get, to obtain). ca = and. tataḥ = from that (from the worship, from the deity). kāmān = the desired objects, the desires fulfilled (the specific goals the devotee sought when approaching the deity — health, wealth, success, protection). mayā eva = by Me alone (mayā = by Me; eva = alone, exclusively — the emphatic 'alone'). vihitān = dispensed, granted, arranged (from vi + √dhā — the same root as V21's vidadhāmi; vihita = that which has been arranged/dispensed). hi = indeed (emphatic). tān = these (the kāma-fulfillments). The most theologically significant phrase: 'mayā eva vihitān hi tān' — the specific boons/favors granted through the other deities are ultimately dispensed by the Supreme alone. The form-worship works (the devotee gains the desired objects), but the ultimate source of even those blessings is the Supreme, working through the deity as instrument.
- mayā eva vihitān — the hidden dispensation
- — dispensed by Me alone — the Supreme as the ultimate source of all blessings, even those mediated through other deities · This phrase reveals the metaphysical structure behind V21-22's theology: the devotee worships Deity X for Blessing Y. Deity X appears to grant Blessing Y. But the ultimate source of Blessing Y is the Supreme (mayā eva vihitān — by Me alone dispensed). The deity is the instrument; the Supreme is the ultimate bestower. This has several implications: (1) No blessing lies outside the Supreme's domain — all are ultimately from the Supreme; (2) The specific form of the deity is a 'focusing lens' through which the devotee's śraddhā makes contact with the underlying divine power; (3) The Supreme's universal management of blessings applies even in realms that appear to belong to other deities. V22 thus qualifies V21's pluralism: all forms are sustained by Me (V21), all blessings are ultimately from Me (V22), but the results are limited (V23).
V22 completes the V21-22 unit: the devotee, endued with the śraddhā made unwavering by the Supreme (V21), engages in worship of the chosen deity and gains the desired objects (kāmān). The crucial qualifier: 'mayā eva vihitān hi tān' — these boons are dispensed by the Supreme alone. The deity is the channel; the Supreme is the ultimate source of all blessings, even those obtained through other deity-worship.
A modern analogy
A municipal water system has many faucets in many buildings. The water flows from a central reservoir through pipes to each faucet. The occupant of any apartment opens their particular faucet and receives water. The faucet is the form; the reservoir is the source. V22's theology: the deity is the faucet; the Supreme is the reservoir; the water (blessing) comes from the reservoir, through the faucet, to the devotee.
What it does NOT mean
V22 does NOT say desire-motivated deity-worship is fraudulent or ineffective. It IS effective — the devotee gains the kāmān (desired objects). V23 will give the limitation (the boon is finite/transient). But V22 establishes that the worship genuinely works: with śraddhā (V21), worship (V22a) produces results (V22b). The Gita does not dismiss other-deity worship as superstition.
Take with you
- V22's 'mayā eva vihitān' (dispensed by Me alone) is deeply reassuring: no blessing lies outside the Supreme's domain. Whether you receive benefit through conventional medicine, through prayer to a specific deity, through a spiritual practice — the ultimate source of all genuine benefit is the Supreme. This prevents both the nihilism of 'nothing works' and the idol-worship error of 'only this deity grants blessings.'
- V21-22 together are the Gita's teaching on the nature of deity worship: the faith is made unwavering by the Supreme (V21); the benefits come through the deity but are ultimately from the Supreme (V22). This preserves both the efficacy of specific forms of worship (they work) and the recognition of the ultimate source (the Supreme).
- V22 + V23 as a complete teaching: V22 shows that desire-motivated worship produces results; V23 shows those results are finite. The complete teaching: desire-worship works, but produces only temporary satisfaction. Only the orientation toward the Supreme (V19's 'vāsudevaḥ sarvam') produces the infinite result.
V22 completes the theological arc begun in V21: the Supreme sustains the śraddhā (V21) → the devotee worships with that śraddhā → the desired objects are obtained → these objects are dispensed by the Supreme. The circle closes: all genuine religious experience — the faith, the worship, the benefit — has the Supreme as its source and ground. The phrase 'mayā eva vihitān' (by Me alone dispensed) is the key theological claim. It establishes that the Gita's pluralism (accepting all forms of worship as genuine) does not dilute the Supreme's sovereignty. On the contrary: the Supreme is more sovereign than any particular deity because the Supreme is the source of the blessings that all deities appear to grant. The particular deities are, in this framework, not false but partial — genuine channels of the Supreme's grace for specific domains. This theology is consistent with the traditional Indian understanding of the devas (gods) as cosmic functionaries — each governing a domain of existence (Indra: weather, Varuna: waters, Agni: fire) — who are themselves sustained by and subordinate to Brahman. V22 gives the bhakti version of this cosmology: the boons come through the devas, but from Brahman.
Advaita lens
Shankaracharya: 'mayā eva vihitān' confirms that all blessings ultimately come from Brahman — the devas are instruments, not independent sources. In advaita terms, the devas are saguṇa (qualified) manifestations of Brahman who serve specific functions in the cosmic economy. Their blessings are real but mediated; Brahman's blessing is immediate but formless. V22 points the practitioner toward the formless source.
Bhakti lens
For bhakti traditions, V22 establishes the Lord's sovereign generosity: even blessings sought through other deity-channels are ultimately the Lord's gift. The Lord does not withhold from those who seek other forms — He gives through those forms. This makes V22 a statement of divine generosity rather than divine jealousy.
Karma-Yoga lens
V22's mayā eva vihitān resonates with karma yoga: the fruits of action come from the Divine, not from the actor's individual effort. Whether the practitioner directed their action-offering explicitly to the Divine or not, the fruits are ultimately from the Divine. V22 generalizes this principle to all forms of religious practice.
Modern parallels
V22's 'dispensed by Me alone' parallels the concept of 'anonymous grace' in Christian theology (Karl Rahner's 'anonymous Christians') — the idea that divine grace works through all genuine seeking regardless of explicit theological framework. V22 is the Gita's version of this: the Supreme's blessing flows through all channels of genuine śraddhā, whether the devotee knows it or not.
Practice
V22 source-tracing practice: bring to mind a benefit you have recently received — any benefit, through any channel. Now trace it: the channel → the form through which it came → the Supreme as the ultimate source. In stillness, rest in the recognition: 'This too came from the One who is all.' This is V22's meditation: recognizing the Supreme as the source of all dispensed grace.
Public-domain translations (6) compare all →
Endued with that faith, he worships that form; and his desires are granted by Me alone. [1]
Endued with that Shraddha, he engages in the worship of that, and from it, gains his desires — these being verily dispensed by Me alone. [4]
Armed with that devotion he seeks reverence from this or that Shining One, and thence obtains his desires, Me alone ordaining them. [5]
With his faith he worships that deity, and from it receives the objects of his wishes, though in reality the benefits thus conferred on him proceed from me. [6]
Seeking for such gifts, he doth adore with earnest faith; and getting them, those gifts come actually from Me — for I the Giver am. [7]
Imbued with that faith, he betakes himself to the worship of that form, and from it, he gets those gains, which verily are ordained by me alone. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
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 mind attached, practising yoga, taking refuge in Me — hear how you shall know Me fully, without doubt.
Acting for reward is the lowest form of action. Seek the wisdom that transcends reward-seeking.
Wisdom stolen by desire: they worship other deities, following various rites, driven by their own nature.