Shloka 20
Rāja-Vidyā Rāja-Guhya Yoga (राजविद्या राजगुह्य योग) — The Yoga of Royal Knowledge and Royal Secret
कामैस्तैस्तै््वतज्ञाना: प्रपद्यन्तेडन्यदेवता: । तं त॑ं नियममास्थाय प्रकृत्या नियता: स्वया,उन-उन भोगोंकी कामनाद्वारा जिनका ज्ञान हरा जा चुका है, वे लोग अपने स्वभावसे प्रेरित होकर८ उस-उस नियमको धारण करके अन्य देवताओंको भजते हैं अर्थात् पूजते हैं;
kāmais tais tair hṛtajñānāḥ prapadyante ’nya-devatāḥ | taṃ taṃ niyamam āsthāya prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā ||
Those whose discernment has been stolen away by their various desires take refuge in other deities. Driven by their own nature, they adopt this or that prescribed observance and worship those gods, seeking the particular enjoyments they crave.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire-driven seeking narrows discernment: when people are ruled by particular cravings, they gravitate toward limited divine forms and corresponding rituals to obtain specific results, rather than pursuing the highest good with clear understanding.
In the battlefield dialogue, Krishna explains to Arjuna why many people worship various deities: their minds, shaped by personal desires and innate tendencies (prakṛti), adopt particular vows and practices aimed at gaining desired enjoyments.