(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)

Only With The Grace Of The Divine Can We Develop Faith Towards Him

यो यो यां यां तनुं भक्त: श्रद्धयार्चितुमिच्छति |
तस्य तस्याचलां श्रद्धां तामेव विदधाम्यहम् || 7.21||

yo yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ śhraddhayārchitum ichchhati
tasya tasyāchalāṁ śhraddhāṁ tām eva vidadhāmyaham|| 7.21||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 7- Ver. 21:

I strengthen the faith of any devotee who wishes to worship a particular form faithfully.

Explanation

We see many devotees around us praying to the celestial gods with unwavering trust, and we wonder how individuals can have such strong faith in a lower form of worship. Shree Krishna responds in this verse, claiming that He is also the creator of faith in celestial gods. When He discovers people worshipping the devats to satisfy their material cravings, He aids their devotion and strengthens their faith.

The celestial gods do not have the potential to create faith; it is the indwelling Paramatma or Supreme Soul who inspires faith in the hearts of devotees. “I am seated in the souls of all living beings, and from Me comes memory, wisdom, and forgetfulness,”

Shree Krishna has previously stated that individuals who have true knowledge practise the highest and most beneficial kind of shraddha, which is worshipping the Supreme Lord. Then one would wonder why the Supreme Lord inspires people to believe in celestial gods—isn’t it inappropriate?

Take for example parents providing dolls to their tiny children. The youngster interacts with the dolls as if they were actual people, developing feelings for them. Despite the fact that the parents are aware of the child’s innocence, they promote this play in order to help the youngster develop qualities such as love, care, and affection for others. These characteristics will assist children in becoming socially responsible as they grow older.

Likewise, our everlasting parent God is well aware of our ignorance. As a result, when He discovers that some souls are worshipping celestial gods for the sake of material gain, He assists them by strengthening their faith. He understands that this experience will aid in the soul’s progress, and that once they realise that the Supreme Lord is the highest good of all, they will surrender to Him.

Verse & what we can learn

Shri Krishna was well aware that not all devotees have the vision to seek out the infinite Ishvara. That is why they worship deities who are finite, confined manifestations of Ishvara. As a result, Shri Krishna sends a ray of hope to such devotees in this shloka. Even if we worship a finite deity with a finite goal, Ishvara will see to it that we achieve our finite objectives. Ishvara will deepen our faith in that deity by doing so.

There’s nothing wrong with asking a limited amount of anything. No matter how limited the purpose, all forms of spirituality are equally valid. They have the capacity to transfer us from our egoic centre to the universal.
If we ask Maa Lakshmi for wealth, for example, it is Ishvara who provides wealth through Her. She becomes the channel for Ishvara’s powers. As it were, he’s in charge of everything. But faith is more vital than the fulfilment of our desires. Our confidence in Maa Lakshmi is strengthened by Ishvara. Because there will come a day when that faith will be redirected towards Ishvara.

To acquire knowledge and to implement that knowledge in life one needs to be mentally and physically active and healthy and for that daily meditation is a great tool.

There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There are also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.

In the Next verse, Shri Krishna tells Arjuna about material benefits and devotees faith.

Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…