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Bhagavad-gītā 7.21

यो यो यां यां तनुं भक्त: श्रद्धयार्चितुमिच्छति । तस्य तस्याचलां श्रद्धां तामेव विदधाम्यहम् ॥ २१ ॥
yo yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ
[yo yo yaam yaam tanum bhaktah]
śraddhayārcitum icchati
[shraddhayaarchitum ichchati]
tasya tasyācalāṁ śraddhāṁ
[tasya tasyaachalaam shraddhaam]
tām eva vidadhāmy aham
[taam eva vidadhaamy aham]
Word-for-word
yaḥ yaḥ — whoever yām yām — whichever tanum — form of a demigod bhaktaḥ — devotee śraddhayā — with faith arcitum — to worship icchati — desires tasya tasya — to him acalām — steady śraddhām — faith tām — that eva — surely vidadhāmi — give aham — I .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yo yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ
yaḥ yaḥ
whoever
yām yām
whichever
tanum
form of a demigod
bhaktaḥ
devotee
śraddhayārcitum icchati
śraddhayā
with faith
arcitum
to worship
icchati
desires
tasya tasyācalāṁ śraddhāṁ
tasya tasya
to him
acalām
steady
śraddhām
faith
tām eva vidadhāmy aham
tām
that
eva
surely
vidadhāmi
give
aham
I .
Important Words
  • tanum — form of a demigod
    Literally 'body' — but here, the chosen form of worship. Kṛṣṇa speaks of forms in the plural across the verse, indicating tolerance of multiple paths without endorsing them as ultimate.
  • bhaktaḥ — devotee
    From √bhaj. The same word that names Kṛṣṇa's own devotees in 7.17, applied here to demigod-worshippers. Suggestive: the basic devotional impulse is real even when its object is wrong.
  • śraddhayā — with faith
    Instrumental of śraddhā — placing of the heart (śrad + dhā). Faith as the operative cause. Without śraddhā there is no worship at all; with it, even partial worship is honored.
  • acalām — steady
    Privative compound: a- (not) + cala (moving). Modifies śraddhā. Kṛṣṇa makes the faith unmoving. The grammar is striking: He grants the steadiness, but the faith was the devotee's. He works with what is given Him.
  • vidadhāmi — give
    From vi + √dhā (to grant, to dispose, to arrange). First person singular. Aham (I) — Kṛṣṇa Himself. He is not absent from secondary worship; He is the secret administrator behind it.
I am in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul. As soon as one desires to worship some demigod, I make his faith steady so that he can devote himself to that particular deity.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Behind every act of devotion to any devatā stands Kṛṣṇa as the antaryāmin. He himself steadies whatever faith arises — even when its object is a lesser deity. The verse discloses His gracious accommodation: He works through the seeker's actual capacity, not an idealized one.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
An astonishing claim: Kṛṣṇa himself is the agent stabilizing devotion to other devatās. He does not punish wayward worship but ratifies it as a developmental step. The repeated distributive (yo yo … yāṁ yāṁ … taṁ tam) emphasizes individuality of spiritual paths. This grounds a soft inclusivism: many devatās function as partial windows on the one Bhagavān who sustains them all (cf. 7.22–23 for the fruit).
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
यः यः भक्तः यां यां तनुं श्रद्धया अर्चितुम् इच्छति, तस्य तस्य ताम् एव अचलां श्रद्धाम् अहं विदधामि ।
yaḥ yaḥ bhaktaḥ yāṃ yāṃ tanuṃ śraddhayā arcitum icchati, tasya tasya tām eva acalāṃ śraddhām ahaṃ vidadhāmi |
Whatever devotee wishes to worship whatever form with faith, I myself grant him unwavering faith in precisely that form.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
यः यः यां यां तनुं भक्तः श्रद्धया अर्चितुम् इच्छति । तस्य तस्य अचलां श्रद्धां ताम् एव विदधामि अहम् ॥
yaḥ yaḥ yāṃ yāṃ tanuṃ bhaktaḥ śraddhayā arcitum icchati | tasya tasya acalāṃ śraddhāṃ tām eva vidadhāmi aham ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
यः यः yaḥ yaḥ यद् pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. (distrib.) whoever
यां याम् yāṃ yām यद् pron. (pronoun) acc.sg. (accusative singular)f. (distrib.) whichever
तनुम् tanum तनु (f.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) form / body (of a deity)
भक्तः bhaktaḥ भक्त (adj./m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) devotee
श्रद्धया śraddhayā श्रद्धा (f.) ins.sg. (instrumental singular) with faith
अर्चितुम् arcitum √अर्च् inf. (infinitive) to worship
इच्छति icchati √इष् pres. (present) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) wishes
तस्य तस्य tasya tasya तद् pron. (pronoun) gen.sg. (genitive singular)m. (distrib.) of him (each)
अचलाम् acalām अचल (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)f. unmoving / firm
श्रद्धाम् śraddhām श्रद्धा (f.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) faith
ताम् tām तद् pron. (pronoun) acc.sg. (accusative singular)f. that
एव eva ind. (emph.) indeed / precisely
विदधामि vidadhāmi वि+√धा pres. (present) 1sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) I grant / dispose
अहम् aham अस्मद् pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular) I
Purport

God has given independence to everyone; therefore, if a person desires to have material enjoyment and wants very sincerely to have such facilities from the material demigods, the Supreme Lord, as Supersoul in everyone’s heart, understands and gives facilities to such persons. As the supreme father of all living entities, He does not interfere with their independence, but gives all facilities so that they can fulfill their material desires. Some may ask why the all-powerful God gives facilities to the living entities for enjoying this material world and so lets them fall into the trap of the illusory energy. The answer is that if the Supreme Lord as Supersoul does not give such facilities, then there is no meaning to independence. Therefore He gives everyone full independence – whatever one likes – but His ultimate instruction we find in the Bhagavad-gītā: one should give up all other engagements and fully surrender unto Him. That will make man happy. Both the living entity and the demigods are subordinate to the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore the living entity cannot worship the demigod by his own desire, nor can the demigod bestow any benediction without the supreme will. As it is said, not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Generally, persons who are distressed in the material world go to the demigods, as they are advised in the Vedic literature. A person wanting some particular thing may worship such and such a demigod. For example, a diseased person is recommended to worship the sun-god; a person wanting education may worship the goddess of learning, Sarasvatī; and a person wanting a beautiful wife may worship the goddess Umā, the wife of Lord Śiva. In this way there are recommendations in the śāstras (Vedic scriptures) for different modes of worship of different demigods. And because a particular living entity wants to enjoy a particular material facility, the Lord inspires him with a strong desire to achieve that benediction from that particular demigod, and so he successfully receives the benediction. The particular mode of the devotional attitude of the living entity toward a particular type of demigod is also arranged by the Supreme Lord. The demigods cannot infuse the living entities with such an affinity, but because He is the Supreme Lord, or the Supersoul who is present in the hearts of all living entities, Kṛṣṇa gives impetus to man to worship certain demigods. The demigods are actually different parts of the universal body of the Supreme Lord; therefore they have no independence. In the Vedic literature it is stated: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead as Supersoul is also present within the heart of the demigod; therefore He arranges through the demigod to fulfill the desire of the living entity. But both the demigod and the living entity are dependent on the supreme will. They are not independent.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
21. I give those persons firm faith in those devatās whose forms they desire to worship with faith.
Commentary

You should not say that the devatā, pleased with being worshiped, will produce faith in worshipping the Supreme Lord, in order to give benefit of the worshipper. As those devatās cannot even produce faith in their followers to worship the devatās, how then can they produce faith in their followers to worship Me? When those people desire to worship forms (tanum) such as Sūrya, which are actually My forms since they are My vibhūtis, I, as Paramātmā, give the faith in those forms of devatās. The devatās do not give the faith.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
21. I give those persons firm faith in those devatās whose forms they desire to worship faithfully.
Commentary

I alone, being the Supersoul in all beings, having great powers, and, desiring the benefit of all creatures, produce their faith in various devatās. I inspire them to worship those devatās, and bestow the respective results of the worship of each devatā. The devatās do not have the power to do this. This is expressed in two verses. A person desiring freedom from distress or other things desires to worship with faith My body (tanum) in the form of devatāṣ like the sun god. I alone (aham eva), and not the particular devatā, produce in such a person firm (acalām) faith in that particular devatā (tām), rather than faith in Myself. The śrutis also state that the various devatās are also forms of the Lord’s body: ya āditye tiṣṭhaty ādityād antaro yam ādityo na veda yasyādityaḥ śarīram He is the Lord who, different from the sun god, is situated within the sun god, whom the sun god does not know, and who is the body of the sun god. Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.7.9

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

However it is Krishna who supplies the faith offered by the worshipper

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
7.21 Yam yam, whichever; tanum, form of a deity; yah, any covetous person- among these people with desires; who, being endowed sraddhaya, with faith; and being a bhaktah, devotee; icchati, wants; arcitum, to worship; tam eva, that very; acalam, firm, steady; sraddham, faith; tasya, of his, of that particular covetous person-that very faith with which he desires to worship whatever form of a deity, in which (worship) he was earlier engaged under the impulsion of his own nature-; [Ast. takes the portion 'svabhavatah yo yam devata-tanum sraddhaya arcitum icchati' with the next verse.-Tr.] vidadhami, I strengthen.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
7.21 These divinities too constitute My body as taught in the Sruti text like: 'He who, dwelling in the sun, whom the sun does not know, whose body is the sun' (Br. U., 3.7.9). Whichever devotee seeks to worship with faith whatever form of Mine, such as the Indra, although not knowing these divinities to be My forms, I consider his faith as being directed to My bodies or manifestations, and make his faith steadfast, i.e., make it free from obstacles.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
7.21 See Comment under 7.23
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
7.21 Whatsoever form any devotee desires to worship with faith that (same) faith of his I make firm and unflinching.
Commentary

7.21 यः who? यः who? याम् which? याम् which? तनुम् form? भक्तः devotee? श्रद्धया with faith? अर्चितुम् to worship? इच्छति desires? तस्य तस्य of him? अचलाम् unflinching? श्रद्धाम् faith? ताम् that? एव surely? विदधामि make? अहम् I.Commentary Tanu or body is used here in the sense of a Devata (god).The Lord? the indweller of all beings? makes the faith of that devotee who worships the lesser divinities? which is born of the Samskaras of his previous birth? steady and unswerving. (Cf.IV.11IX.22and23)

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
7.21 Whichever form (of a deity) any devotee wants to worship with faith, that very firm faith of his I strengthen.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
7.21 But whatever the form of worship, if the devotee have faith, then upon his faith in that worship do I set My own seal.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 9.23 BG 15.15 BG 18.61 SB 2.3.10 SB 6.3.19 SB 4.31.14 CC Ādi 2.87 CC Madhya 20.119 CC Madhya 24.138 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.11Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.12
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Whatever form a devotee wishes to worship with faith, I make that faith steady — he obtains his desire, but ultimately from Me.
Practical Applications
  • Recognize that even partial worship is supported by Kṛṣṇa.
  • Don't disrespect partial seekers; their faith is being held by Him.
  • Acknowledge His secret hand in all forms of sincere worship.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose 'partial' worship am I tempted to disrespect?
  • How is Kṛṣṇa already involved in their faith?
Analogy

A child running to grasp a knife is gently handed a wooden toy that resembles it. The parent neither scolds the desire nor abandons the child — only redirects. Kṛṣṇa as Supersoul in every heart does the same with secondary worshippers: He stabilizes the faith they have, in the form they have chosen, because to break their faith would break them.

Stories
Bhīṣma worshipping Sūrya

Lying on his bed of arrows after the Mahābhārata war, awaiting the auspicious turn of the sun's northward journey to release his life, Bhīṣma maintained his vow not to die until uttarāyaṇa. He worshipped the sun-god, Sūrya, as the gatekeeper of that auspicious time.

But Bhīṣma's faith in Sūrya was sustained by Kṛṣṇa — who in fact arrived in person at the deathbed. The Mahābhārata shows the layered truth: the devotee worships Sūrya with steady śraddhā, but the steadiness itself is the gift of the Supreme, and at the right moment Kṛṣṇa Himself appears to receive the final surrender. Tasya tasya acalāṁ śraddhāṁ tām eva vidadhāmy aham — exactly.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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