Bhagavad-gītā 7.20
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
कामैस्तैस्तैर्हृतज्ञानाः प्रपद्यन्तेऽन्यदेवताः। तं तं नियममास्थाय प्रकृत्या नियताः स्वया।।7.20।।
kāmais tais tair hṛita-jñānāḥ prapadyante ’nya-devatāḥ taṁ taṁ niyamam āsthāya prakṛityā niyatāḥ svayā
Others again, deprived of discrimination by this or that desire, following this or that rite, devote themselves to other gods, led by their own natures.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| kāmaiḥ | by material desires |
| taiḥ taiḥ | by various |
| hṛita-jñānāḥ | whose knowledge has been carried away |
| prapadyante | surrender |
| anya | to other |
| devatāḥ | celestial gods |
| tam tam | the various |
| niyamam | rules and regulations |
| āsthāya | following |
| prakṛityā | by nature |
| niyatāḥ | controlled |
| svayā | by their own |
Keep the verse in view while connecting kāmaiḥ (by material desires), tam tam (the various), and svayā (by their own). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to knowledge of Krishna and his energies. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 7.20.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Map material and conscious energies, knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, māyā, approaches to divinity and the rarity of full knowledge.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Others again, deprived of discrimination by this or that desire, following this or that rite, devote themselves to other gods, led by their own natures
- 2
kāmaiḥ: by material desires
- 3
tam tam: the various
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 7.20, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 7.20 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 7.20 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 7.20 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 7.20, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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