Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 11

ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् । मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः

ye yathā māṃ prapadyante tāṃstathaiva bhajāmyaham | mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ

Translation

Howsoever men approach Me, even so do I reward them; My path do men follow in all things, O son of Pṛthā.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

ye

who

yathā

as

mām

to me

prapadyante

approach

tān

them

tathā

so

eva

even

bhajāmi

welcome

aham

I

mama

my

vartma

path

anuvartante

follow

manuṣyāḥ

men

pārtha

O Pārtha

sarvaśaḥ

everywhere

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

I reward men by granting them the things they desire, just in accordance with the way in which they seek Me and the motive with which they seek Me. I reward seekers of fruits by securing to them their selfish ends; I reward the unselfish, who do their prescribed duties and seek for mokṣa, by granting them knowledge; I reward men of knowledge who have renounced the world and seek for mokṣa, by granting them mokṣa; similarly, I reward men in distress by relieving them from distress. Thus do I reward all, just in the way they seek Me. But never do I reward any from affection or aversion, or from delusion. In all things, men follow My path, the path of the Īśvara, who exists in all forms.