Chapter 7, Verse 20
Part of 7: Jñāna Vijñāna Yog — ज्ञानविज्ञानयोगकामैस्तैस्तैर्हृतज्ञानाः प्रपद्यन्तेऽन्यदेवताः। तं तं नियममास्थाय प्रकृत्या नियताः स्वया॥
Transliteration
kāmais tais tair hṛita-jñānāḥ prapadyante ’nya-devatāḥ taṁ taṁ niyamam āsthāya prakṛityā niyatāḥ svayā
Meaning
Those whose wisdom has been taken away by this or that desire, go to other gods, following this or that rite, led by their own nature.
Word-by-word meaning
kāmaiḥ — by material desirestaiḥ taiḥ — by varioushṛita-jñānāḥ — whose knowledge has been carried awayprapadyante — surrenderanya — to otherdevatāḥ — celestial godstam tam — the variousniyamam — rules and regulationsāsthāya — followingprakṛityā — by natureniyatāḥ — controlledsvayā — by their own
Commentary
Those who desire wealth, children, the (small) Siddhis, etc., are deprived of discrimination. They devote themselves to other minor gods such as Indra? Mitra? Varuna, etc., impelled or driven by their own nature or Samskaras acired in their previous births. They perform some kinds of rites to propitiate these lower deities. (Cf. IX.23)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the meaning of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, Verse 20?▼
Those whose wisdom has been taken away by this or that desire, go to other gods, following this or that rite, led by their own nature.
Which chapter and verse of the Bhagavad Gita is this?▼
This is verse 20 of Chapter 7 (Jñāna Vijñāna Yog — Self-Knowledge and Enlightenment) of the Bhagavad Gita, a scripture of 18 chapters and 700 verses spoken by Lord Krishna to Arjuna.