यो यो यां यां तनुं भक्त: श्रद्धयार्चितुमिच्छति |
तस्य तस्याचलां श्रद्धां तामेव विदधाम्यहम् || 21||
yo yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ śhraddhayārchitum ichchhati
tasya tasyāchalāṁ śhraddhāṁ tām eva vidadhāmyaham
yaḥ yaḥ—whoever; yām yām—whichever; tanum—form; bhaktaḥ—devotee; śhraddhayā—with faith; architum—to worship; ichchhati—desires; tasya tasya—to him; achalām—steady; śhraddhām—faith; tām—in that; eva—certainly; vidadhāmi—bestow; aham—I
Translation:
Whatever may be the form a devotee seeks to worship with faith— in that form alone I make his faith unwavering.
Commentary:
The Lord here declares that He confirms the faith of those people who worship different Gods for different purposes. The love of the Supreme Being is infinite. He is present in all these different Devas. So when man worships them with faith, his faith is made unswerving by the Lord Himself. The point to note is that if there is faith in some form or other, such faith is strengthened by the Lord.
This is the unique feature of the Hindu concept of God. Each man is free to worship the Divine in any form. There is no restriction or compulsion in the choice of the object of worship. The path may be different. Whatever path one may follow, he has to come ultimately to the One Supreme Being. Since this universal vision is hard to acquire, men are given infinite choice to worship any form which appeals to their imagination, according to their past samskaras. The only condition is that there should be faith in the worship. Progress should be maintained whether the pace is slow or quick. And also, the destination should be kept in view, and there should be no deviation or back-sliding. Such men are blessed by the Lord with increased faith and stronger devotion to their respective Gods. So it is man’s duty to start worship of his chosen Deity. Faith and devotion are conferred on him by the Lord Himself.
- And that which is the seed of all beings— that am I, Ο Arjuna. There is no being, whether moving or unmoving, that can exist without Me. (10.39)
- There is no end of My divine manifestations, Ο dreaded Arjuna. This is but a partial statement by Me of the multiplicity of My attributes. (10.40)
- Whatever glorious or beautiful or mighty being exists anywhere, know that it has sprung from but a spark of My splendour. (10.41)
- But what need is there of your acquiring this detailed knowledge, Ο Arjuna? With a single fragment of Myself I stand supporting the whole universe. (10.42)
Question: What is the chief quality of worship?
Answer: Faith.
Question: How does the Lord help such men?
Answer: By confirming their faith in worshipping their chosen Deity.
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