Chapter 9, Verse 23 (Bhagavad Gita 9.23)
Chapter 9: Rāja Vidyā Yog – Yoga through the King of Sciences
Sanskrit Shloka
येऽप्यन्यदेवता भक्ता यजन्ते श्रद्धयाऽन्विताः। तेऽपि मामेव कौन्तेय यजन्त्यविधिपूर्वकम्
Transliteration
ye ’pyanya-devatā-bhaktā yajante śhraddhayānvitāḥ te ’pi mām eva kaunteya yajantyavidhi-pūrvakam
Word Meanings
ye—those who; api—although; anya—other; devatā—celestial gods; bhaktāḥ—devotees; yajante—worship; śhraddhayā anvitāḥ—faithfully; te—they; api—also; mām—me; eva—only; kaunteya—Arjun, the son of Kunti; yajanti—worship; avidhi-pūrvakam—by the wrong method
Translation
Even those devotees who, endowed with faith, worship other gods, they worship Me alone, O Arjuna, but in an improper manner.
Meaning & Commentary
In this profound verse, Bhagwan Shri Krishna reveals that He is the singular destination of all forms of worship, as there exists no reality apart from Him. He explains that even when seekers turn to lesser deities, their faith and devotion ultimately reach Him, the Supreme Brahman, yet they do so through an indirect and incomplete path. By failing to recognize Shri Krishna as the ultimate source, they remain tethered to the cycle of finite results, missing the grace of direct surrender. Bhagwan Shri Krishna invites the soul to transcend fragmented devotion and embrace the ultimate truth that He is the singular object of all adoration. True liberation, or moksha, begins when the devotee acknowledges that everything begins and ends within the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Shri Krishna.