Summary:
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 11: Īśvara is available as various resources, laws, powers, and possibilities in the world. In whichever form you invoke Īśvara, in that form Īśvara appears in your experience. Whatever you ask – according to your education and self-reflection – Īśvara blesses you with that, without judgment. Whether you seek limited results (like biceps through weight lifting) or infinite results, Īśvara is obligated to make it happen. Pain and disappointment signal that you're asking for limited things instead of the limitless being who is your very Self. Since everyone wants something, everyone is a worshipper of Bhagavan, the possessor of all possibilities. Bhagavan (from root √bhaj, to possess) possesses six qualities: power (śakti/aiśvarya), dharma, glory (yaśas), prosperity (śrī), knowledge (jñāna), and dispassion (vairāgya).
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 12: People worship small deities (money, power, immediate pleasures) not because Īśvara withholds himself, but because they choose quick, visible results over liberation. Self-worth issues, rāga-dveṣa, lack of discipline, entitlement, and mind clinging to stories of accidental success (spontaneous enlightenment, lottery, bitcoin) drive this choice. Īśvara doesn't decide who pursues the whole of Īśvara – it's the jīva's discretion and consistent asking. Understanding this converts resentment and blame towards God (appearing as world, politics, family) into solution mode. With dedication and focus in human birth, results come quickly, but self-imposed limitations (“it's not easy, not in this lifetime, etc”) and desire for expediency over delayed gratification stop mokṣa.
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 13: The varna-system represents natural talents upon birth: intellectuals (brāhmaṇa), rulers/protectors (kṣatriya), traders/entrepreneurs (vaiśya), and supporters (śūdra). Your varna and quality of expression are determined by karma (past actions forming habits) and guṇas (inner psychology: sattva, rajas, tamas). Guṇas affect how you express your varna – sattvik brāhmaṇa shares wisdom to lift others, rājasic keeps knowledge for self-gain, tāmasic uses knowledge to manipulate. Convert from karmaka-varna (birth-based talent) to guṇaka-varna (spiritual practice) by performing duties with karma-yoga attitude. Īśvara creates the system, dharma, and feedback system (karma-phala-dātā), while remaining changeless.
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 11:
ये यथा माम् प्रपद्यन्ते तान् तथा एव भजाम्यि अहम् ।
मम वर्त्म अनुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥ ४-११॥
ye yathā mām prapadyante tān tathā eva bhajāmyi aham ।
mama vartma anuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ ॥ 4-11॥
Those who worship me in whatever way, I bless them in the same way. Pārtha (Arjuna)! People follow my path in all ways.
“People follow my path in all ways, in whatever form they worship me, I bless them [or in that form I appear]”
Kṛṣṇa says, “I am available to you as the various resources in the world, the various laws, powers, and possibilities. In whichever form you invoke me, in that form I am going to appear.”
In otherwords, everyone and everything is within one Reality, called Ishvara. Whatever you ask (according to your education, knowledge gained through self-reflection, what’s worthy and unworthy) – Ishvara blesses you that.
Lord doesn’t judge what you want, doesn’t stop you from pursing self-harm, nor self-growth. Ishvara (Krishna) in that asked-form, appears or shows up in your experience.
Meaning, whether you seek limited or infinite result, Ishvara is “obligated” to make that happen. Until you ask for the limitless and “get” it – the need to keep asking for more experiences will never end. And Lord's way of telling you're asking for the wrong thing (ie: limited things, instead of asking for Him – the limitless being Who is your very Self) – is through pain, disappointment.
I Want the Lord in Form of Biceps
For example, if you do weight lifting daily because you want to develop biceps, you’re invoking the Lord in the form of biceps and will be blessed with biceps. If you develop only the left arm, the Lord will bulge out only there! But the goal, the end, is always Bhagavan. You wanted God in the form of biceps. In fact what you really wanted is freedom from small biceps.
Why Everyone is a Unknowingly a Worshipper of the Lord
Since everyone has something they want, that makes everyone, without exception, a worshipper of the possessor of all possibilities, Bhagavan.
Even if country has no religion or concept of God, they worship their state as God. EG: Even Communism is when state is considered/worshipped as God.
What is “Me” in This Verse Referring to?
It's referring to Bhagavan (Ishvara). Word “Bhagavan” is from root √bhaj (to possess) – meaning one who possesses 6 qualities:
- Power (shakti/aishvarya): Sustains the universe effortlessly without help.
- Dharma (righteousness): Embodies perfect righteousness and moral order, never deviating from truth.
- Glory (yashas): Bhagavan is celebrated throughout all realms and times in form of objects, aspirations, worlds, qualities seen in people.
- Prosperity (shri): Bhagavan possesses all wealth and auspiciousness in their fullness, lacking nothing.
- Knowledge (jnana): Bhagavan is omniscient, possessing complete and immediate knowledge of all that was, is, and will be.
- Dispassion (vairagya): Bhagavan remains completely unattached and unaffected by the world of names and forms, despite being its creator and sustainer, needing nothing from creation. EG: You're not attached to your own arm, as you are one with the arm. Everything is one with Ishvara, thus Ishvara can't be attached to Self.
NEXT VERSE: Why people don’t seek whole of Ishvara, but partial…
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 12:
काङ्क्षन्तः कर्मणाम् सिद्धिम् यजन्ते इह देवताः ।
क्षिप्रम् हि मानुषे लोके सिद्धिः भवति कर्मजा ॥ ४-१२॥
kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇām siddhim yajante iha devatāḥ ।
kṣipram hi mānuṣe loke siddhiḥ bhavati karmajā ॥ 4-12॥
Desiring the result of actions here (in this world), they worship (different) deities. For, in the human world, result born of action comes very quickly.
“Desiring results of actions, they worship deities [those things important to you]”
Meaning, person worships small deities (such as money, power, immediate pleasures) not because the whole of Īśvara withholds himself, but because person choose quick, visible results over liberation.
Why people don’t seek whole of Īśvara?
Self-worth issues, raga-dvesha, little self-reflection, path of least resistance, lack of discipline, religionless culture, entitlement generation (never learned to work hard and learn humility), etc.
Additionally, mind clings to few stories of accidental successes (spontaneous enlightenment, lottery, bitcoin riches, etc), amplifying it’s confirmation bias.
In all cases, Ishvara doesn't decide who will pursue whole of Ishvara, who will eat with golden/metal spoon. Lord denies nothing to anyone. It's the jiva’s discretion that's deciding and asking on a consistent basis. Therefore it’s not true that “God does whatever he wants”.
Seeing this, resentment and blame towards God (appearing as world, politics, family, work situations) converts to solution mode – getting busy solving rather then complaining. Additionally, questions like “Why was he made blind? Why was she born an orphan?” have an answer (due to adrsta-phala). If Bhagavan is total intelligence – and everything is within Bhagavan's order – then every birth, difference, and condition reflects an expression of past causes.
With dedication and focus, “…result of action comes very quickly”
With possibilities assigned within the human range, you can collapse the highest possibility (moksha) relatively quickly, or pursue infinite finite possibilities. Only thing that stops you is self-imposed limitations (EG: It’s not easy, not in this lifetime, this vision is too big for me, etc) – and/or desire for expediency over delayed-gratification.)
NEXT VERSE: The four-fold group of people based on duties and qualities…
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 13:
चातुर्वर्ण्यम् मया सृष्टम् गुण-कर्म-विभागशः ।
तस्य कर्तारम् अपि माम् विद्धि अकर्तारम् अव्ययम् ॥ ४-१३॥
cāturvarṇyam mayā sṛṣṭam guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ ।
tasya kartāram api mām viddhi akartāram avyayam ॥ 4-13॥
The four-fold grouping (of people), a division based on duties and qualities, was created by Me. Even though I am its author, know Me to be a non-doer, ever changeless.
Cātur-varṇyam – The varna-system (four-grouping of people):
Think of “varna-system” (popularly known as “cast system”) as what you're natural at upon birth. A born talent.
-
- Intellectuals (brāhmaṇa): Engaged in sciences, information, researchers, philosophers, scholars.
- Rulers & Protectors (kṣatriya): Army, navy, police, government body. Lots of funding goes on defense.
- Traders / Merchants / Entrepreneurs (vaiśya): Those that exchange goods/services. Money movers. They maintain financial resources amidst the nation.
- Supporters (śūdra): Every profession needs shudras (support staff). Assistants, interns, workers. Anyone who sustains infrastructure, nurses, basically 99% of the workforce.
Every nation needs balance of four. You need the other three.
Other cultures have similar gradings like royalty, nobility, upper class, middle class. Imagine society has intellectuals, but no protectors or rulers, meaning nation borders are open to all without immigration, no police, etc. They’re crucial because darker human nature is to claim ever-greater sovereignty, land expansion.
What Determines Your Varna and Quality of Expression?
- Karma (Past Actions That Formed Habits):
- Own past causes — repetitive actions from past which formed habits and familiarity with certain things.
- Gunas (Inner Psychology):
- In simple English, word “gunas”, when used in reference to a person, is a Vedic psychological model. The proportion of sattva (contemplation, discipline, silence), rajas (ambition, energy, activity), and tamas (dullness, lethargy, laziness) within your mind. This determines intention and purity of your actions.
- Example how gunas (inner psychology) affects one's varna (born talent):
- Sattva: Sattvic thinker shares the wisdom to lift self/others up. EG: Best doctor (brahmana) is one who genuinely cares for the patient. Best ruler (kshatriya) is one whose willing to risk reputation for sake of trying something new to advance the society.
- Rajas: Makes thinker keep knowledge to himself, for self-gain, it’s ‘me’ centred. EG: While discovering a cure – main driving force is recognition. Or researcher decides to withhold cancer research breakthrough to teammates. Secretly strikes a million dollar deal with a pharmaceutical company.
- Tamas: Tamasic thinkers use knowledge to manipulate, invoke fear, or withhold useful information to enjoy superiority. Tamas makes one not put what they know into practice. EG: Tamasic vaishya by birth, dominated by laziness, justifies “Who needs money anyway? Money is root of all evil!”
- Goal is to elevate your varna to Sattva-guna psychology:
- According to Vedas, you cannot jump from tamas-rajas-sattva to sattva-rajas-tamas directly. First you must become rajas-tamas-sattva, then rajas-sattva-tamas, only then sattva-rajas-tamas. This progression constitutes maturity itself. Even babies demonstrate this progression: initially tamas-rajas-sattva, sleeping most of the time. As they grow older, rajas predominates and they become very active. Finally, when grown, we expect them to be sāttvikas.
- Up to rajas-sattva-tamas, growth happens by performing karma, pursuing your own ends according to dharma. Only when you perform karma (action) with karma-yoga attitude do you help your mind become sattva-rajas-tamas – the type of mind qualified for atma-jnanam.
- Example How To Make Your Mind Moksa-Qualified Via Your Varna: Suppose a man born into an educated family (brāhmaṇa), and pursues his cancer research career, he remains a brāhmaṇa duty-wise. But if he does so seeking recognition and ambition, he is not making his sattva-rajas-tamas quality-wise. If he performs his duties with karma-yoga attitude, “This is my karma, my duty, my offering to the Lord, to the world” – then he starts making his mind sattva-rajas-tamas dominant. It’s all about intention.
- Modern-age entitlement: For instance, Vaishya makes money and has power. Because that’s what society has attributed ultimate worth, it seduces shudras/ksatriyas to become vaishyas, whose clumsiness steals real talent, and it brings down mood/enthusiasm of being a merchant/trader… which discourages natural born merchants from starting a business.
How to Convert Your Varna to a Spiritual Practice?
You need to convert from karmaka-varna (birth-based brahmana/kshatriya/etc.) to gunaka-varna (turning your birth-based-talent into self-growth). EG: Shudra (simple helper) too can evolve by converting a mundane job like putting caps on bottles all day, into a challenge of improving efficiency. Or developing attention for detail, patience, problem-solving skills.
Fact is, opportunity to evolve is given to every varna (category of person). Birth based varna is only a starting point, it doesn’t guarantee evolution, unless you ACTIVELY turn it into a tool of self-development.
“Even though I am its author, know Me to be a non-doer, ever changeless” (tasya kartāram api mām viddhya-kartāram avyayam)
Ultimately Ishvara’s order put you where you’re in.
Ishvara creates:
-
- Concept of varna; the four groups of people.
- Dharma – an overarching rules-program imbued in 4 groups by which they will live in harmony.
- Feedback system that’ll let you know if you’ve gone off-track, which manifests in form of dis-ease, disharmony. Jiva creates causes, Ishvara delivers effects. Īśvara is karma-phala-dātā, the giver of results.
In short, Ishvara is the author of the whole system — all the while, Ishvara remains changeless — meaning intelligence always remains intelligence, just as binary 0’s and 1’s always ever remain 0’s and 1’s. What patterns they produce is your own coding (ie: choices) on a daily bases, which stacks up over time and sculpts character and overall life experience.
So what that Ishvara remains changeless! The fact the Ishvara remains changeless means there was never a time, nor will there be, when He decides to hold a grudge against you for past mistakes, thus denying you from moksha or turning your life around. Nor is Ishvara loaded by people's problems, thus becoming unavailable to hear your prayers and requests.
NEXT VERSE: Ishvara has no bias, no longing for whether you succeed or fail…
—
Course was based on Swami Dayananda (Arsha Vidya) home study course.
Recorded 28 Dec, 2025