Chapter 9 · Verse 21 · Raja Vidya Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 9.21
Sanskrit
ते तं भुक्त्वा स्वर्गलोकं विशालं क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति। एव त्रयीधर्ममनुप्रपन्ना गतागतं कामकामा लभन्ते।।9.21।।
Transliteration
te taṁ bhuktvā swarga-lokaṁ viśhālaṁ kṣhīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśhanti evaṁ trayī-dharmam anuprapannā gatāgataṁ kāma-kāmā labhante
In plain words
You are exhausted from chasing something—a result, a person, a outcome, a version of yourself you thought would finally make you safe. Krishna says: even when you reach what you've been grasping for, it will slip away, because nothing built on craving stays. The trap isn't failure—it's the endless wheel of wanting more. Freedom comes not from achieving better outcomes, but from releasing your stranglehold on needing them to be a certain way.
Word by Word
Krishna reveals the hidden trap of ritual and merit-seeking: even the vast heavens are temporary, and those who chase karmic rewards through Vedic rituals inevitably fall back to earth when their merit exhausts. The soul caught in desire-driven action becomes a prisoner of the cycle, endlessly ascending and descending like a bird on a string.
True freedom lies not in accumulating merit in heaven, but in offering all action to the Divine and transcending the game of gain and loss altogether. When you perform your duties without craving results, you break this wheel and touch something eternal.
Listen
Bhagavad Gita 9.21 — BG 9.21
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