Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya

So let us look at the system of Demigod worship and see what happens after this

Bg 7.21

yo yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ
śraddhayārcitum icchati
tasya tasyācalāṁ śraddhāṁ
tām eva vidadhāmy 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.

Translation: 

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.

 

yo yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ

Whatever tanu, tanu refers to form one feel attracted, one desire to, icchati, means desire, ārcitu icchati, ārcitu is worship, icchati is desire normally when we worship there has to have some faith śraddhay + ārcitum + icchati, one desire to worship with Sraddha, 

tasya tasyācalāṁ śraddhāṁ

so He makes Sraddha ācalā, ācalā means He makes Sraddha unshakable 

tām eva vidadhāmy aham

I give vidadhāmy, strong faith, ācalā Sraddha.

It is very significant here, that means Sri Krishna is explaining that He is so Kind that he doesn’t reject demigod worship directly nor reject the people who are demigod worshipers. He is not concerned with His own glorification He is concerned with other’s elevation, our elevation, normally speaking our material boss wants to know everyone that I am the boss and if somebody else comes along for example there is a CEO and the assistant manager and someone come to office and praising the assistant manager as if he is CEO, the real CEO will become angry on both of them why are you praising him and why are you accepting the praise but Krishna is not like that, yes Krishna is happy when devotees glorify Him but He understands that the glorification is based on devotion and that glorification is not flattery that glorification is not cantered on the ego the glorification is reciprocation of love. If we love someone we appreciate that person and naturally when we love we will glorify that person, so like that when we understand then we move forward, in our spiritual progression, we move forward in understanding compassion of Krishna, sometimes devotees may be doubting if Krishna is supreme why vedas talk about other devatahas / demigod and sometimes other demigods are mentioned as supreme, why they are saying like that? This shows how large how much hearted Sri Krishna is, He is so large hearted that He is not concerned weather everyone recognises My position or not, weather people glorify Me or not, if they understand that and do that it is great, because that is the way to ultimate liberation that is the way to ultimate happiness and that is the way to supreme fulfilment but if they are not ready to do that at least let them elevate from lower modes to higher modes, therefore what Sri Krishna does is He gives the demigods the power, and He gives the demigod worshiper faith. So He is saying tasya tasyācalāṁ śraddhāṁ, I make their Sraddha Achala, ok you wanted to worship that particular devatah I will give you faith in that devatah, and then by worshiping that devath you will get elevated, tasya tasyācalāṁ śraddhāṁ, so I give faith and I elevate, I facilitate the elevation, tām eva vidadhāmy aham, so I gave it. Krishna is present as super soul in the heart and He says ok you wanted to worship that particular devatah, I will give you the faith, and that way we will understand Sri Krishna’s broad mindedness and a devotees appreciates this, of course the devotees doesn’t get involved in demigod’s worship. When we understand Sri Krishna’s glory we focus more on Sri Krishna’s glory exclusively singularly but we appreciate broad heart of Krishna. 

When someone see’s the translation it is mentioned I am in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul. He may ask in the verse there is no mention about supersoul there is no Parmatama there is no Hriday, where is Krishna talking about anything like this? So Srila Prabhupada often integrate the translation and the purport to illumine the translation better also. So sometime when he wanted to explain certain point to us so on those point Prabhupada does such things so that our conception will become clear, so that we won’t get into unnecessary misunderstandings. 

tasya tasyācalāṁ śraddhāṁ, so where is faith ultimately? Faith is matter of heart, and Krishna is present in heart and Srila Prabhupada is pointing that Krishna gives a faith so depending on our desire whatever kind of faith we want Sri Krishna will give that kind of faith, so He uses faith in himself when we choose to develop faith in Him, so tām eva vidadhāmy aham, I give that faith to him, and after that Sri Krishna will describe further that.

Srila Prabhupada Purport: 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.

So one such facility which Lord gives to exercise independence is the demigod worship, so through this Krishna allows living entity to turn towards Him gradually by slowly and slowly moving forward. Suppose they are worshiping in tamo-guna they will rise from tamo-guna to rajo-guna, and then to Stava Guna. So here Prabhupada explains both the demigod and the living entity are dependent on the Supreme will. 

So here Krishna talked about how living entities faith will be enhanced by the devatah and now He will talk about how the devatah are also empowered by Krishna

End of transcription.