Shloka

ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् |
मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ||४-११||

Transliteration

ye yathā māṃ prapadyante tāṃstathaiva bhajāmyaham .
mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ ||4-11||

Translations

Dr.S.Sankaranarayan

4.11. The way in which men resort to Me, in the same way I favour them. O son of Prtha, all sorts of men follow the path of Mine.

Shri Purohit Swami

4.11 Howsoever men try to worship Me, so do I welcome them. By whatever path they travel, it leads to Me at last.

Sri Abhinav Gupta

4.11 See Comment under 4.12

Sri Ramanuja

4.11 Whoever desirous of resorting to Me, in whatever manner they think of Me according to their inclinations and take refuge in Me, i.e., resort to Me - I favour them in the same manner as desired by them; I reveal Myself to them. Why say much here! All men who are intent on following Me do experience, with their own eyes and other organs of sense in all ways, i.e., in every way wished by them, My form (including images), however inaccessible it might be to speech and thought of the Yogins.

Now, after completing the incidental topic (with regard to divine incarnations), in order to teach the mode in which Karma Yoga itself acires the form of Jnana, He begins to speak of the difficulty in finding persons who are alified for Karma Yoga of this kind.

Sri Shankaracharya

4.11 Yatha, according to the manner in which, the purpose for which, seeking, whatever fruit; prapadyante, they approach; mam, Me; aham, I; bhajami, favour; tan, them; tatha eva, in that very manner, by granting that fruit. This is the idea. For they are not seekers of Liberation. It is certainly impossible for the same person to be a seeker of Liberation and, at the same time, a seeker of rewards (of actions). Therefore, by granting fruits to those who hanker after fruits; by granting Knowledge to those who follow what has been stated (in the scriptures) and are seekers of Liberation, but do not hanker after rewards; and by granting Liberation to those who are men of wisdom and are monks aspiring for Liberation; and so also by removing the miseries of those who suffer- in these ways I favour them just according to the manner, in which they approach Me. This is the meaning. On the other hand, I do not favour anybody out of love or aversion, or out of delusion. Under all circumstances, O son of Prtha, manusyah, human beings; anuvartante, follow; sarvasah, in every way; mama, My; vartma, path, [The paths characterized by Knowledge and by action (rites and duties).] the path of God who am omnipresent. By ‘human beings’ are meant those people who become engaged in their respective duties to which they are alified according to the results they seek. ‘If Your wish to be favourable is the same towards all creatures on account of the absence of the defects of love and aversion in You who are God, and You are there with Your capacity to grant all rewards, why then do not all, becoming desirous of Liberation, take refuge in You alone with the very knowledge that Vasudeva is everything?’ As to that, hear the reason for this:

Swami Adidevananda

4.11 Whoever resortt to Me in any manner, in the same manner do I favour them; men experience Me alone in different ways, O Arjuna.

Swami Gambirananda

4.11 According to the manner in which they approach Me, I favour them in that very manner. O son of Partha, human beings follow My path in every way.

Swami Sivananda

4.11 In whatever way men approach Me even so do I reward them; My path do men tread in all ways, O Arjuna.

Commentaries

Swami Sivananda

4.11 ये who? यथा in whatever way? माम् Me? प्रपद्यन्ते approach? तान् them? तथा so? एव even? भजामि reward? अहम् I? मम My? वर्त्म path? अनुवर्तन्ते follow? मनुष्याः men? पार्थ O Partha? सर्वशः in all ways.Commentary I reward men by bestowing on them the objects they desire in accordance with their ways and the motives with which they seek Me. If anyone worships Me with selfish motives I grant him the objects he desires. If he worships Me unselfishly for attaining knowledge of the Self? I grant him Moksha or final liberation. I am not at all partial to anyone. (Cf.VII.21andIX.23).