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Chapter 9 · Verse 21 · Raja Vidya Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 9.21

philosophical Karma & Action Attachment & Letting Go Moksha & Liberation

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

Word by Word

te they
tam that
bhuktvā having enjoyed
swarga-lokam heaven
viśhālam vast
kṣhīṇe at the exhaustion of
puṇye stock of merits
martya-lokam to the earthly plane
viśhanti return
evam thus
trayī dharmam the karm-kāṇḍ portion of the three Vedas
anuprapannāḥ follow
gata-āgatam repeated coming and going
kāma-kāmāḥ desiring objects of enjoyments
labhante attain
Simplified Perspective

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

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