Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 11

Chapter 4 – Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् ।
मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥

Transliteration

ye yathā māṃ prapadyante tāṃstathaiva bhajāmyaham .
mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ ॥

Meaning

In whatever way people approach Me, in that very way do I respond to them. All human beings, O Partha, follow My path in every way.

Word meanings

ये – those who
यथा – in whatever way
माम् – Me
प्रपद्यन्ते – approach, take refuge in
तान् – them
तथा – in the same way
एव – indeed
भजामि – I respond to, I reward, I favour
अहम् – I
मम – My
वर्त्म – path
अनुवर्तन्ते – follow
मनुष्याः – human beings
पार्थ – O son of Pritha
सर्वशः – in every way

Anvaya (word order)

पार्थ, ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते, अहं तान् तथा एव भजामि । मनुष्याः सर्वशः मम वर्त्म अनुवर्तन्ते ।

Explanation

In the previous verse Krishna said that many have attained His being. This could raise a doubt: does the Lord favour some and neglect others? In this verse He makes clear that He has no partiality. ‘Ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham’ — in whatever way people approach Me, in that same way I respond to them.

Shankara explains that those who worship the Lord for the sake of results receive those results; those who seek liberation without desire for reward are given knowledge and set free. The Lord gives no one anything against his own wish, nor does He bear ill will towards anyone. Ramanuja brings out the side of love: just as the devotee cannot live without the Lord, the Lord cannot be without His devotee, and in whatever form the devotee longs for Him, in that form He reveals Himself.

‘Mama vartmanuvartante manushyah partha sarvashah’ — all human beings follow My path in every way. One meaning is that whether a person worships Indra, another deity, or follows any form of worship, all these are ultimately paths leading towards the one Supreme, for He is the source of every power. It is a beautiful example of the breadth of Indian thought.

The verse is also a mirror. God's response reflects our own attitude. If we remember Him only to ask for things, we meet Him as the Giver; if we call to Him in love, He comes as the Beloved. The depth of our feeling determines the depth of our experience.

Context

In 4.10 Krishna said that many seekers have attained His being. Here He explains that He rewards each according to the spirit in which they come. In the next verse (4.12) He explains why those who desire results worship the gods.

Life lesson

God returns to us what we offer to Him — our attitude becomes our experience. So never scorn another person's way of worship, and let your own devotion rise beyond asking into love.

Key terms

Prapatti: surrender, taking refuge in the Lord
Bhajana: worship and service; here the Lord's answering grace
Vartma: path, way