|| 4.11 ||
ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम्। मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः।।
ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ
Word by Word
ye (all who) yathā (as) mām (unto Me) prapadyante (surrender) tān (them) tathā (so) eva (certainly) bhajāmi (reward) aham (I) mama (My) vartma (path) anuvartante (follow) manuṣyāḥ (all men) pārtha (O son of Pṛthā) sarvaśaḥ (in all respects)
Translation
As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Prith.
Meaning
Kṛṣṇa explains the law of spiritual reciprocation. He says that He rewards everyone according to how they surrender to Him. God is not a distant judge; He is a responsive presence. If one wants Kṛṣṇa as a friend, He becomes a friend. If one wants Him as a judge, He provides justice. If one wants to ignore Him, He remains invisible as the laws of nature.
He adds that ‘manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ’—all people are following His path in one way or another. Since everything comes from Kṛṣṇa, every pursuit, whether material or spiritual, is ultimately a search for Him. However, the quality of the result depends on the quality of the approach.
The atheist follows Kṛṣṇa through the laws of cause and effect (karma), while the devotee follows Him through love. Kṛṣṇa provides the ‘vouchers’ for whatever we seek. He is the ultimate reality that everyone is interacting with, knowingly or unknowingly. This verse highlights the absolute fairness and accessibility of the Divine.