BG 7.21 — Jñāna-Vijñāna-Yoga

Bhagavad Gītā 7.21Chapter 7 · Jñāna-Vijñāna-Yoga · Krishna → Arjuna · anuṣṭubh

यो यो यां यां तनुं भक्तः श्रद्धयार्चितुमिच्छति ।

तस्य तस्याचलां श्रद्धां तामेव विदधाम्यहम् ॥

yo yo yāṃ yāṃ tanuṃ bhaktaḥ śraddhayārcitum icchati

tasya tasyācalāṃ śraddhāṃ tām eva vidadhāmy aham

spokensingle-voice recital; rendered via IndicF5 conditioned on a Sanskrit reference clip

meaning

Whatever form a devotee wishes to worship with faith, I make that faith in that very form steady and unshakeable.

ekras · bhāṣya

Whichever form a bhakta wishes to worship with shraddha — that very shraddha in that very form, I make achala — unmoving. The repeated yah yah, yam yam, tasya tasya holds the verse's open generosity: every form, every faith, every worshipper.

Krishna does not narrow the field; he stabilizes whichever direction the seeker has turned.

Shankara reads the verse precisely. Whoever desires to worship whatever form of deity with shraddha — that very shraddha, Krishna as antaryamin makes firm and unwavering. The Lord stabilizes the natural inclination — svabhava-pravritti — of the desire-driven worshipper toward the chosen form. The verse is naming Krishna as the silent ground beneath every sincere worship, regardless of which form receives it.

Madhusudana extends the assurance: there is no danger that devotees of secondary deities will remain distant from Bhagavan Vasudeva, because Krishna himself, as antaryamin, stabilizes the shraddha that arises from janmantara-vasana-bala. The shraddha stabilization is the first move in the long arc that eventually delivers the worshipper to recognition of Krishna.

Ramanuja reads the verse with characteristic relational warmth. Even those who unknowingly worship Indra or Aditya are worshipping the Lord's own body-forms — madiyah tanavah. The Brihadaranyaka declares: he who dwells in the sun, whom the sun does not know — his body is the sun. Knowing this, Krishna himself traces the shraddha as directed at his body-modes; the worshipper's ignorance does not break the worship.

Madhva keeps the dependence-frame steady: whatever form — from Brahma downward — is dependent on Hari, and it is Hari who makes the shraddha stable. The Naradiya is invoked: bhaktas of Brahma are counted among Bhagavan's own bhaktas.

Vallabha reads all deity-forms as Krishna's own mat-sharira-bhuta; from within, antah, recognizing the faith is directed at his own bodily manifestation, Krishna alone makes it firm.

Context

where

Chapter 7 · Jñāna-Vijñāna-Yoga · meter anuṣṭubh

who speaks

Krishna → Arjuna

preceded by — BG 7.20

Those whose judgment has been carried off by desires take refuge in lesser gods, following whatever rites belong to each, driven by their own accumulated nature.

What's going on

Whatever form a devotee wishes to worship with faith, I make that faith in that very form steady and unshakeable.

Sūtras through this verse · hub (64)

JayatīrthaclassicalB

Pañcabheda — the five distinctions enforced verse by versebetween

7.5Higher prakṛti is Lakṣmī, not matter.───→here7.21───→8.4Adhiyajña is Viṣṇu, not the worshipper.

ĀnandagiriclassicalA

The two-niṣṭhā axisbetween

7.1First hexad ends, middle hexad opens.───→here7.21───→13.1Two niṣṭhās, three kāṇḍas — keystone.

RāmānujaclassicalA

World as the Lord's body (antaryāmin)between

7.7Nothing higher than Me; I string it all.───→here7.21───→9.4World in Me, not Me in it.

show all 64

ŚrīdharaclassicalD

The path that turns no one awaystation · anchor

───→here7.21───→

JayatīrthaclassicalF

Bhakti-tāratamya: gradation among devotees, gradation in fruitstation

───→here7.21───→

JayatīrthaclassicalC

Refuting Śaṅkara-style readings, named or unnamedbetween

7.13Why this declaration? The gloss must answer.───→here7.21───→11.16Aneka- is not just two-or-more.

JayatīrthaclassicalD

Saṅgati declared at the head of every adhyāyabetween

7.1First ṣaṭka closed; new pratijñā opens.───→here7.21───→12.1Avyakta follows the manifest rūpa.

JayatīrthaclassicalE

Vishnu-sarvottamatva read into apparently neutral wordsbetween

7.5Higher prakṛti is Śrī, not the eight-fold.───→here7.21───→8.3Akṣara is Viṣṇu, not quality-less.

JayatīrthaclassicalG

Citation as proof — śruti, smṛti, MB, Aṣṭādhyāyī, Pañcarātrabetween

7.5Parā-prakṛti backed by Pañcarātra.───→here7.21───→11.16Aṣṭādhyāyī 5.4.78 settles aneka-.

JayatīrthaclassicalH

Pūrva-pakṣa explicit — nanu / iti cet / ity ata āhabetween

7.13Nanu vijñāna-rūpaṁ — canonical shape.───→here7.21───→12.5Avyakta-rival raised, then answered.

JayatīrthaclassicalI

Lakṣaṇā-control — literal preferred when availablebetween

7.5Surrounding clause picks literal Śrī.───→here7.21───→11.16Aneka- means many; no upacāra needed.

VallabhaclassicalB

Grace alone — the technical markbetween

7.18The wise one is Myself, by grace alone.───→here7.21───→9.22Grace alone — never calculation of merit.

VallabhaclassicalD

Chapter-opening preludesbetween

7.1Seven-verse prelude opens the bhakti-ṣaṭka.───→here7.21───→9.1Single-verse prelude names the secret of secrets.

VallabhaclassicalE

Three paths, one teaching orderbetween

7.1The bhakti-ṣaṭka opens the third stage.───→here7.21───→13.2The third ṣaṭka is the Lord's own bhāṣya.

VallabhaclassicalF

Soul as part of the highest Personbetween

7.6From these two natures all beings come forth.───→here7.21───→13.2The kṣetra-knower in every field is the Lord himself.

VallabhaclassicalG

The Lord plays — calf-affection, not contractbetween

7.1The play-Person of every form opens chapter 7.───→here7.21───→9.32The unsheltered run to their cowherd-Lord.

VallabhaclassicalI

A closed three-source citation gridbetween

7.14Surrender is the only way past the Lord's māyā.───→here7.21───→9.22The Bhāgavata block grounds grace-only doctrine.

VallabhaclassicalK

Aphorism, gloss, full commentarybetween

7.1The gloss-stage opens with chapter seven.───→here7.21───→13.2The Lord himself writes the third ṣaṭka. .

ĀnandagiriclassicalB

Three hexads = tat tvam asibetween

7.1Middle hexad named: tat-padārtha begins.───→here7.21───→12.20Middle hexad closes; tat-pada sealed.

ĀnandagiriclassicalD

Praśna-bīja chapter openingsbetween

7.1Lord answers a question Arjuna did not ask.───→here7.21───→8.1Recap-and-bind: Ch 8 carries Ch 7 forward.

ĀnandagiriclassicalE

Pūrvapakṣa via nanu / āśaṅkyabetween

7.1Doubt about refuge, blocked by mad-āśraya.───→here7.21───→13.1Boundary protected by stylized doubt.

ĀnandagiriclassicalI

Bhakti carries jñāna, never parallelbetween

7.2Bhakti's fruit is jñāna itself.───→here7.21───→12.12Bhakti's gradient ends in jñāna.

ĀnandagiriclassicalJ

Prakṛti is never autonomousbetween

7.4Two-fold prakṛti is the Lord's own power.───→here7.21───→13.1Prakṛti's autonomy blocked at boundary. Anchor.

ĀnandagiriclassicalL

Akṣarayojanā — word-fit firstbetween

7.1Word-fit holds at the architectural seam.───→here7.21───→13.1Same discipline at the keystone chapter.

RāmānujaclassicalC

Three ṣaṭkas (1–6 / 7–12 / 13–18)between

7.1Open the second ṣaṭka: mind clung to Me.───→here7.21───→9.1The royal secret of the second ṣaṭka.

RāmānujaclassicalE

Bhakti as continuous recollectionbetween

7.19After many lives — home.───→here7.21───→8.14Easily reached by unbroken recollection.

RāmānujaclassicalF

Two prakṛtis · jīva as eternal aṃśabetween

7.13Modes hide the higher.───→here7.21───→13.20Both natures beginningless.

RāmānujaclassicalG

Māyā is real causal powerbetween

7.14Māyā is real wonder, not unreality.───→here7.21───→7.25My power, not your blindness, hides Me.

RāmānujaclassicalH

Prapatti / śaraṇāgati — universal upāyabetween

7.14Surrender alone crosses the māyā.───→here7.21───→9.32Even the lowest birth reaches Me through this.

RāmānujaclassicalJ

Śeṣa-śeṣī · pati-vrata similebetween

7.18He is My self; I cannot hold without him.───→here7.21───→9.34Set toward Me, the seeker's whole posture.

MadhusūdanaclassicalA

Three groups of six: you, the Lord, the joiningbetween

7.1First six unfold 'you,' middle six unfold 'that.'───→here7.21───→12.20The middle six are sealed and finished.

MadhusūdanaclassicalB

Different students need different teachingsbetween

7.16Four kinds of devotee, ranked by ripeness.───→here7.21───→12.1Saguṇa or nirguṇa? Depends on who's asking.

MadhusūdanaclassicalE

Devotion is how knowing actually arrivesbetween

7.16The lover-knower stands at the top of the four.───→here7.21───→9.22Constant thought of Me is self-contemplation itself.

MadhusūdanaclassicalF

Every middle chapter opens with a bow to the teacherbetween

7.1A bow to the bliss-cloud, Nanda's son, opens seven.───→here7.21───→8.1I take refuge in Kāśirāja, the king of Kashi.

MadhusūdanaclassicalH

Krishna with form is the ground beneath formless Brahmanapproach

───→here7.21───→9.22I myself am the Lord, the Self of all.

MadhusūdanaclassicalJ

Two kinds of nature — divine and demonicapproach

───→here7.21───→9.13Great souls take refuge in divine nature.

VedāntadeśikaclassicalC

Antaryāmin — the indweller as standing referentstation

───→here7.21───→

VedāntadeśikaclassicalI

9.24 — the standing citation for ārādhyastation

───→here7.21───→

ŚrīdharaclassicalF

The Lord inside as inner rulerstation

───→here7.21───→

VedāntadeśikaclassicalB

Prapatti — bhakti's access for those the long path defeatsbetween

7.14Those who take refuge cross the māyā.───→here7.21───→9.22For the undivided, I carry it Myself.

VedāntadeśikaclassicalE

Pūrva-pakṣa — name the rival, close the doorbetween

7.18The jñānin is dearest; not interchangeable.───→here7.21───→9.34Refuge is not bondage by another name.

VedāntadeśikaclassicalF

Saṅgati — anticipation-and-resolutionbetween

7.1'Mayy āsakta-manāḥ' resolves the 6.47 hint.───→here7.21───→9.1Chapter 7's residue of wonder forces 9's disclosure.

ŚrīdharaclassicalC

Devotion is both the way and the homebetween

7.17The wise lover is my own dearest one.───→here7.21───→9.22I carry getting and keeping for them.

ŚrīdharaclassicalH

The grammar of single-pointednessbetween

7.17Always-yoked, fixed on the One alone.───→here7.21───→8.14Mind on no other, constantly remembers Me.

RamsukhdasclassicalA

What binds you (and how to let go)between

6.1True renouncing acts; drops the inner hook.───→here7.21───→7.30Hold the Lord through every layer of life.

RamsukhdasclassicalD

The three modes (sattva, rajas, tamas) at workbetween

7.12The modes come from the Lord, not in Him.───→here7.21───→13.21Clinging to modes causes any new birth.

RamsukhdasclassicalF

Surrender — the single shelterbetween

7.1Mind on Me, refuge wholly in Me.───→here7.21───→9.22For the undivided I personally provide.

RamsukhdasclassicalJ

Divine vs demonic patternsbetween

7.15The demonic never come near to Me.───→here7.21───→9.12Vain hopes, vain acts, their own punishment.

Ramsukhdasclassical

Sādhaka Sañjīvanī commentary at this versebetween

───→here7.21───→

ŚrīdharaclassicalK

Death-memory as the test of daily habitapproach

───→here7.21───→8.5Whoever remembers Me at the last reaches Me.

ŚaṅkaraclassicalF

The Lord is born only as it werebetween

7.14Divine illusion is hard to cross alone.───→here7.21───→7.25The magician sees through his own illusion.

ŚaṅkaraclassicalH

The Lord is friend of every beingbetween

5.29Friend of all beings, the witness of every act.───→here7.21───→7.30The cosmic and the rite-Lord are one Lord, known together.

ŚaṅkaraclassicalI

The lover and the knower are one personbetween

7.16Of the four devotees, the knower is dearest.───→here7.21───→9.22For those who see only Me I myself bear all need.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalA

Knowing and acting are one powerbetween

7.1Together they cover everything to be known.───→here7.21───→11.18Sat names the union of the two powers.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalB

Recognition, not additionbetween

4.14Recognize, do not learn — the verb shifts.───→here7.21───→7.24Failure of seeing, not absence of presence.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalF

Three guṇas: contractions of one consciousnessbetween

7.12Modes from the Lord — the Lord not in them.───→here7.21───→14.5Three primary contractions of cit.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalH

Bhakti as non-dual recognitionapproach

───→here7.21───→9.22Consciousness tending its own self-knowing modes.

ŚaṅkaraclassicalG

After knowing, act only to hold the worldexit

5.8I do nothing at all, says the knower.───→here7.21───→

MadhvaclassicalT6

Citation is the spine — texts carry the loadbetween

7.5Doubled prakṛti named from a single śruti.───→here7.21───→12.6Saukarāyaṇa-śruti ranks the personal route.

MadhvaclassicalT9

Devotion and grace — what knowledge cannot do alonebetween

7.16Four kinds approach; the devoted is best.───→here7.21───→9.22For the undivided, I personally provide.

MadhvaclassicalT10

The deluder is named — three goddesses, one Lordbetween

7.14Only by surrender does the māyā lift.───→here7.21───→14.3Three goddesses named in a single śruti.

Ekrasmodernstress

Stress — panic to shelterbetween · v2

7.14Cross the maya───→here7.21───→9.22Yogakshema

Ekrasmodernbhakti

Bhakti — devotion pathbetween · v2

7.19After many births───→here7.21───→9.13Mahātmas of divine nature

Gauravmoderninterfaith_cosmology

'Yo yo yam yam tanum bhaktah shraddhayarchitum ichchhati.' Whatever form the devstation · station 3/6

───→here7.21───→

Śabda · lemmas (11 unique · 17 occurrences)

तस्य·ताम् tad ×3 — that (distal demonstrative); also 3rd-person pronoun · genitive masculine singular noun / accusative feminine singular noun
श्रद्धया·श्रद्धाम् śraddhā ×2 — faith, trust, conviction · instrumental feminine singular noun / accusative feminine singular noun
भक्तः bhakta — devotee; one who is devoted · nominative masculine singular noun · also at 9.31, 11.55, 12.14, 12.15, 12.16
इच्छति iṣ — to wish, desire (verbal root) · present indicative 3rd person singular verb

show all 11

यः·याम् yad ×4 — which, who (relative pronoun) · nominative masculine singular noun / accusative feminine singular noun
तनुम् tanu — body; thin, slender · accusative feminine singular noun
अर्चितुम् arc — to honor, worship (verbal root) · infinitive
अचलाम् acala — immovable (a- + cala 'moving', from √cal); also: mountain · accusative feminine singular noun
एव eva — indeed, truly, only (emphatic particle)
विदधामि vi-√dhā — to ordain, place, allot · present indicative 1st person singular verb
अहम् mad — I, me (1st person pronoun stem); also: to rejoice (verbal root) · nominative singular noun

Praśna · so what (6)

01If the Lord stabilizes faith in any form, does that imply all objects of worship are equally efficacious — or is there a difference in what the worshiper eventually receives (BG 7.22–23 addresses this)?
02Madhusūdana explicitly says the Lord does NOT redirect the worshiper's faith toward Himself here — what does this reveal about how gradual spiritual development actually works?

show all 6

03Rāmānuja's claim that ignorant worship is still valid because all forms are the Lord's body: does this make sincere wrong-belief as effective as informed devotion?
04Śaṅkara treats this verse as explanatory (why the world runs) rather than prescriptive (how to worship) — does the difference between descriptive and normative readings of Gītā verses change how we should use them?
05Madhva's hierarchy — Hari sustains all, even Brahmā-worshipers are 'within' His circle — raises the question: is there any sincere act of worship that falls entirely outside the Lord's sustaining will?
06The word 'acalā' (unwavering) appears in all six readings: is firm faith in a limited object a spiritual asset or a spiritual obstacle, and does the answer differ by school?

Vyavahāra · try it in your life

Advaita

When you find yourself drawn repeatedly toward a particular form of practice — a specific teacher, a ritual, a name — do not force a philosophical override. Recognize that inclination as your current svabhāva (natural disposition), use it fully, and let the practice itself reveal the formless ground beneath it.

Viśiṣṭādvaita

Serve whatever role or relationship you are genuinely drawn to — parent, teacher, colleague, community — as if the Lord inhabits that form as its inner soul. The sincerity of service matters more than the theological precision of the address; Bhagavān traces the intention inward.

show all 6

Dvaita

In a team or institution, acknowledge the real authority above you without collapsing that hierarchy into vague unity. Your manager, your mentor, the tradition you belong to — these are real, distinct, and dependent on a higher order; honoring the chain is itself a form of worship.

Śuddhādvaita

Stop waiting for the 'right' practice before beginning. Whatever form of beauty, devotion, or creative work genuinely moves you — enter it fully, knowing that Kṛṣṇa's grace is already present in that pull. The longing itself is His prasāda.

Bhakti

When you notice a genuine enthusiasm or faith beginning to form — toward a person, a cause, a practice — do not immediately intellectualize it away. The antaryāmin is already at work deepening it; your task is not to redirect it but to stay honest and attentive within it.

Advaita-Bhakti

Recognize the stage you are actually at, not the stage you wish you were at. Madhusūdana's honesty — the Lord meets you where your faith actually is — means that beginning with a limited object of devotion is not failure; it is the starting point the grace is working through.

Adhiṣṭhāna · substrate signature

substratev2.6-frozen

parserByT5-Sanskrit-multitask (Nehrdich/Hellwig/Keutzer EMNLP 2024)

mūlaBelvalkar critical edition (BORI 1947), via Ambuda multi-witness

show all metadata

weightsa=1 · b=0.01 · e_v=0.005 · z=0.2 · h=0 · th=0.01

anchorfit on Ramsukhdas's Sādhak Sañjīvanī (1980), frozen across the eight-commentator panel; cross-validated R@4 = 71.6% on Śaṅkara

extracted2026-04-21

methodPaper 1, Section II.B

↓ view raw per-verse object (JSON)↗ per-verse-object schema ↗ substrate code (MIT) + data (CC-BY 4.0)

The schema generalizes to any bounded-polysemy corpus with discrete primary text units, attested witness traditions, identifiable schools, and formal substrate. Port the per-verse object; refit weights on a domain-appropriate Layer-3 anchor; ship.

Bhagavad Gītā Chapter 7, Verse 21: Krishna to Arjuna — Jñāna-Vijñāna-Yoga