FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.13.34

तांस्तान् कामान् हरिर्दद्याद्यान् यान् कामयते जन: । आराधितो यथैवैष तथा पुंसां फलोदय: ॥ ३४ ॥
tāṁs tān kāmān harir dadyād
[taams taan kaamaan harir dadyaad]
yān yān kāmayate janaḥ
[yaan yaan kaamayate janah]
ārādhito yathaivaiṣa
[aaraadhito yathaivaisha]
tathā puṁsāṁ phalodayaḥ
[tathaa pumsaam phalodayah]
tān tān — those kāmān — desired objects hariḥ — the Lord dadyāt — will award yān yān — whatsoever kāmayate — desires janaḥ — the person ārādhitaḥ — being worshiped yathā — as eva — certainly eṣaḥ — the Lord tathā — similarly puṁsām — of men phala-udayaḥ — the result.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tāṁs tān kāmān harir dadyād
tān tān
those
kāmān
desired objects
hariḥ
the Lord
dadyāt
will award
yān yān kāmayate janaḥ
yān yān
whatsoever
kāmayate
desires
janaḥ
the person
ārādhito yathaivaiṣa
ārādhitaḥ
being worshiped
yathā
as
eva
certainly
eṣaḥ
the Lord
tathā puṁsāṁ phalodayaḥ
tathā
similarly
puṁsām
of men
phala-udayaḥ
the result.
The performer of the sacrifices [under karma-kāṇḍa activities] achieves the fulfillment of the desire for which he worships the Lord.

In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that He awards benedictions to the worshiper according to his desire. The Supreme Personality of Godhead gives all living entities conditioned within this material world full freedom to act in their own way. But to His devotee He says that instead of working in that way, it is better to surrender unto Him, for He will take charge of the devotee. That is the difference between a devotee and a fruitive actor. The fruitive actor enjoys only the fruits of his own activities, but a devotee, being under the guidance of the Supreme Lord, simply advances in devotional service to achieve the ultimate goal of life — to go back home, back to Godhead. The significant word in this verse is kāmān, which means “sense gratificatory desires.” A devotee is devoid of all kāmān. He is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya: a devotee is always devoid of all desires for sense gratification. His only aim is to satisfy or gratify the senses of the Lord. That is the difference between a karmī and a devotee.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Being worshipped, the Lord will award whatever one desires. As much as one worships the Lord, one will receive results.
The karma-kāṇḍa performer gets the specific desire he worships for. The system is responsive: you tend to get what you ask for. So ask carefully.
Reflection Questions
  • What am I actually asking for in my recurring efforts, beneath the surface story?
  • Where would I trade a desire I'm pursuing for a higher one if I were honest about the trade-off?
📝 My note

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