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Chapter 7 · Verse 23 · Gyaan Vigyana Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 7.23

devotional Bhakti & Devotion Jnana & Wisdom Moksha & Liberation

Sanskrit

अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम्। देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि।।7.23।।

Transliteration

antavat tu phalaṁ teṣhāṁ tad bhavatyalpa-medhasām devān deva-yajo yānti mad-bhaktā yānti mām api

Word by Word

anta-vat perishable
tu but
phalam fruit
teṣhām by them
tat that
bhavati is
alpa-medhasām people of small understanding
devān to the celestial gods
deva-yajaḥ the worshipers of the celestial gods
yānti go
mat my
bhaktāḥ devotees
yānti go
mām to me
api whereas
Simplified Perspective

Krishna draws a sharp line here between two paths of worship: those who seek the gods receive the gods' blessings—finite, temporary, bound by celestial cycles—while those who surrender to Him alone reach Him directly, the infinite source. The difference is not in ritual complexity but in the object of love; small understanding clings to intermediate powers, but mature devotion recognizes that all worship ultimately returns to the Supreme.

When your heart turns from collecting blessings to offering itself, you step from the realm of diminishing returns into the eternal.

Listen

Bhagavad Gita 7.23 — BG 7.23

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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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