FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 9.23

येऽप्यन्यदेवताभक्ता यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्विता: । तेऽपि मामेव कौन्तेय यजन्त्यविधिपूर्वकम् ॥ २३ ॥
ye ’py anya-devatā-bhaktā
[ye ’py anya-devataa-bhaktaa]
yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ
[yajante shraddhayaanvitaah]
te ’pi mām eva kaunteya
[te ’pi maam eva kaunteya]
yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam
[yajanty avidhi-poorvakam]
Word-for-word
ye — those who api — also anya — of other devatā — gods bhaktāḥ — devotees yajante — worship śraddhayā anvitāḥ — with faith te — they api — also mām — Me eva — only kaunteya — O son of Kuntī yajanti — they worship avidhi - pūrvakam — in a wrong way .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ye ’py anya-devatā-bhaktā
ye
those who
api
also
anya
of other
devatā
gods
bhaktāḥ
devotees
yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ
yajante
worship
śraddhayā anvitāḥ
with faith
te ’pi mām eva kaunteya
te
they
api
also
mām
Me
eva
only
kaunteya
O son of Kuntī
yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam
yajanti
they worship
avidhi - pūrvakam
in a wrong way .
Important Words
  • anya — other
    Other — the same anya at the root of ananya (non-other) which has dominated this chapter. The deva who is anya, treated as separate from Kṛṣṇa, is precisely where the misdirection begins. Anya is the worshipper's error.
  • devatā — deity
    Deity — the Vedic devas (Indra, Agni, Sūrya, etc.). The verse does not deny their existence or power; it diagnoses the misrouting of worship through them as if they were terminal recipients.
  • bhaktāḥ — devotees
    Devotees — of the other gods. Kṛṣṇa generously calls them bhaktas; their śraddhā is real, their devotion real. The verse is not sectarian dismissal but precise navigation.
  • yajante — they worship
    Active present plural of √yaj. They perform actual sacrifice. The action is right; the addressing is wrong. Like a check made out correctly except for the wrong payee.
  • śraddhayā anvitāḥ — endowed with faith
    Śraddhā (faith) + anvita (accompanied by). Their faith is genuine — Kṛṣṇa concedes śraddhā, which is what He demanded in 9.3. The verse 9.23 thus distinguishes: with śraddhā but misrouted is better than without śraddhā at all.
  • eva — only, indeed
    The emphatic particle — 'indeed,' 'only.' The clause te api mām eva yajanti is the verse's pivot: they too worship only Me. Eva does the heavy lifting: not 'they sort of worship Me,' but Mām eva — Me indeed.
  • avidhi - pūrvakam — without proper method
    A- + vidhi (rule, procedure) + pūrvaka (preceded by). 'Without procedure preceding it.' The method is missing. The verse 9.24 will explain why method matters — they fall down because they do not recognize Him as the actual recipient.
Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only Me, O son of Kuntī, but they do so in a wrong way.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
All sincere worship — even of other devatās — terminates in Kṛṣṇa, because He is the true recipient (cf. 9.24). The trouble is not the faith but the route: avidhi-pūrvakam, by a wrong procedure that mistakes the channel for the source.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Theologically generous yet diagnostically firm. Other-deity worship is not condemned as false but as misdirected: śraddhā lands on the substitute, not the principal. The result is partial — exactly the gatāgata of 9.21 rather than the parā gati of 9.32. Cross-ref BG 7.20–23 on the limited fruits of deva-worship.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
हे कौन्तेय! ये अपि अन्य-देवता-भक्ताः श्रद्धया अन्विताः (सन्तः) यजन्ते, ते अपि माम् एव अविधि-पूर्वकं यजन्ति ।
he kaunteya! ye api anya-devatā-bhaktāḥ śraddhayā anvitāḥ (santaḥ) yajante, te api mām eva avidhi-pūrvakaṃ yajanti |
O son of Kuntī, even those who, being devotees of other deities, worship with faith, they too actually worship Me alone — but by a wrong procedure.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
ये अपि अन्य-देवता-भक्ताः यजन्ते श्रद्धया अन्विताः । ते अपि माम् एव कौन्तेय यजन्ति अविधि-पूर्वकम् ॥
ye api anya-devatā-bhaktāḥ yajante śraddhayā anvitāḥ | te api mām eva kaunteya yajanti avidhi-pūrvakam ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
ये ye rel. pron. (pronoun) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m. who
अपि api ind. (indeclinable), 'also/even' even
अन्य-देवता-भक्ताः anya-devatā-bhaktāḥ अन्य + देवता (f.) + भक्त (m.) nom.pl. (nominative plural), tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) devotees of other deities
यजन्ते yajante √यज् pres. (present) 3pl.ātm. (ātmanepada / middle voice) they worship
श्रद्धया śraddhayā श्रद्धा (f.) ins.sg. (instrumental singular) with faith
अन्विताः anvitāḥ अनु+√इ p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m. endowed with
ते te dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m. they
माम् mām अस्मद् pron. (pronoun) acc.sg. (accusative singular) Me
एव eva ind. (indeclinable), emphatic alone
यजन्ति yajanti √यज् pres. (present) 3pl.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) they worship
अविधि-पूर्वकम् avidhi-pūrvakam अ + विधि (m.) + पूर्वक (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n., adv. without proper procedure
Purport

“Persons who are engaged in the worship of demigods are not very intelligent, although such worship is offered to Me indirectly,” Kṛṣṇa says. For example, when a man pours water on the leaves and branches of a tree without pouring water on the root, he does so without sufficient knowledge or without observing regulative principles. Similarly, the process of rendering service to different parts of the body is to supply food to the stomach. The demigods are, so to speak, different officers and directors in the government of the Supreme Lord. One has to follow the laws made by the government, not by the officers or directors. Similarly, everyone is to offer his worship to the Supreme Lord only. That will automatically satisfy the different officers and directors of the Lord. The officers and directors are engaged as representatives of the government, and to offer some bribe to the officers and directors is illegal. This is stated here as avidhi-pūrvakam. In other words, Kṛṣṇa does not approve the unnecessary worship of the demigods.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
23. Those who are devoted to other gods and with faith worship them—they also worship Me, but by the wrong method, O son of Kuntī.
Commentary

“In verse 15, You have mentioned the three types of worship, and then to explain the third type of worship (viśvarūpa) You have recited verses to illustrate it (verse 16-19). Some others worship Indra and others as part of their practice in karma-yoga (verse 20). Though they predominantly worship other devatās, they are also Your devotees. Why do they not get liberation? Rather, You said, ‘They again take repeated birth and death’ (verse 21) and ‘Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary.’” BG 7.23 This verse answers. Yes, they do worship Me (te mam eva yajanti). However, they worship without any rules for attaining Me (avidhi-pūrvakam). Thus they return to this world.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
23. Those who are devoted to other gods and with faith worship them, worship Me by the wrong method, O son of Kuntī.
Commentary

“But those who worship Indra and the devatās also are actually worshipping You. Why do they return to saṁsāra?” Those who, being fully devoted to Indra and others alone, endowed with firm faith that the particular devatā will bestow benedictions (śraddhayānvitaḥ), worship those devatās with sacrifices. It is true that they are actually worshipping Me. But they worship without the proper rules. They worship without following the rules which will allow them to attain Me, which will then extinguish saṁsāra Therefore they return to this world.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

What is their destination? They are supplied by Krsna, the fruits of their worship, but they are worshiping Krsna improperly. Krsna says,

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Demigod worship without knowledge of Krishna’s supremacy is called “Avidhi-purvakam” – It is a

sign of less intelligence because such worship is offered to ‘Me’ only, but indirectly

LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 9.23 & 9.24: What happens to such worshipers as mentioned in Text 9.23?

– “They simply fall down”

Focus of Learning

(a) Three Analogies for indirect worship of Krishna as the improper method

Pouring water on leaves and branches and not the roots
Feeding different parts of the body and not the stomach
Not to follow the laws of the government and offering a bribe to the officers

a) A devotee is “Perfect in self-Realization” – It is because:

His only desire is to associate with Supreme Personality of Godhead
He always worships with ‘exclusive’ devotion
Unable to live without Krishna even for a moment
Such Krishna conscious activities are “All-auspicious” and “Full of spiritual potencies”

b) ‘Yoga’ – Implies such a devotee undoubtedly approaches Lord without difficultly

Helps the devotee achieve Krishna consciousness by yoga

c) ‘Ksema’ – Refers to “the merciful protection” of the Lord

When one becomes fully Krishna consciousness, the Lord protects him from falling down to miserable conditional life
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
9.23 Api, even; ye, those who; anya-devata-bhaktah, being devoted to tother deities; and anvitah sraddhaya, endowed with faith; yajante, worship (them), te api, they also; O son of Kunti, yajanti, worship; mam, Me; eva, alone; (though) avidhi-purvakam, following the wrong method. Avidhi implies ignorance. So the idea is that they worship (Me) ignorantly. 'How it is that they worship (Me) ignorantly?' [i.e. the worshippers of other deities worship them knowingly, and hence, how can the estion of their ignorance arise?] This is being answered: Because-
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
9.23 Those, however, who are devoted to Indra and other divinities, who rely on the three Vedas alone, and who, possessed of faith, worship Indra and other divinities - they too worship Me actually in the light of the truth that all existing things constitute My body and have Me for their selves. In the light of this principle, terms like Indra denote Me only. The worshippers of Indra and other deities therefore worship Me only, in ways not sanctioned by the Sastras. They do not worship Indra and other divinities with a proper understanding of the place of these deities in the light of the Vedanta texts. An example is 'Wherein (i.e., in the Supreme Self) the sacrifices known as the Caturhotri attain their fulfilment through the divinities' (Tai. Ar., 4) etc. These texts say in what way these forms of worship apply to these divinties. For all Vedanta texts lay down that the Supreme Person alone is to be worshipped directly when they enjoin the worship of Indra and other divinities, as they form the body of the Supreme Person. The meaning is that in the Caturhotri sacrifice like Agnihotra, the full moon and the new moon sacrifices etc., it is the Supreme Self only that is worshipped, as He abides as the self in Indra etc., who are the ostensible objects worshipped in these sacrifices by which these worshippers obtain their fulfilment through them. Therefore, the votaries of the three Vedas do not understand that these rituals form the worship of the Supreme Person and that He alone is to be worshipped. As they do not do so, they become experiencers of limited results, and they are again liable to fall into Samsara. Sri Krsna gives expressions to this:
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
9.23 See Comment under 9.26
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
9.23 Even those devotees who, endowed with faith, worship other gods, worship Me alone, O Arjuna, b the wrong method.
Commentary

9.23 ये who? अपि even? अन्यदेवताः other gods? भक्ताः devotees? यजन्ते worship? श्रद्धया with faith? अन्विताः endowed? ते they? अपि also? माम् Me? एव alone? कौन्तेय O Kaunteya? यजन्ति worship? अविधिपूर्वकम् by the wrong method.Commentary They worship Me in ignorance. Their mode of worship is contrary to the ancient,rule. Hence they return to this world.People worship Agni? Indra? Surya? Varuna? the Vasus? etc. Even they attain Me? because I am everywhere. But their devotion is not pure. It is vicarious. Water should be given to the root and not to the branches. If the root is satisfied? the whole tree must be and is satisfied. Even so? if I (the root of this world and all the gods) am satisfied? all the gods must be and are satisfied. Though the messages from the five organs of knowledge reach the one consciousness? will it be right and useful to place a sweetmeat in the ear and a flower in the eyes The function of eating must be done by the mouth alone and the function of smelling by the nose alone. Therefore I should be worshipped in My own nature. They should know Me as the Self in all beings. They should recognise Me in other worship. I am the root. I am the source of all the gods and of this whole world. (Cf.IV.11VII.20)

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
9.23 Even those who, being devoted to other deities and endowed with faith, worship (them), they also, O son of Kunti, worship Me alone (though) following the wrong method.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
9.23 Even those who worship the lesser Powers, if they do so with faith, they thereby worship Me, though not in the right way.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)
Related verses
BG 7.20 BG 7.21 BG 4.12 SB 2.3.10 SB 10.24.25 SB 11.3.43 CC Madhya 22.92 CC Madhya 24.89 CC Madhya 9.115 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.7Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.1.21
Concepts
Yoga
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Those who worship other gods with faith — they too worship Me, but improperly, since I am the only enjoyer of all sacrifice.
Practical Applications
  • Recognize that misdirected worship is still partial connection.
  • Don't dismiss other religious sincerity, but understand its limit.
  • Direct your own worship correctly to its true object.
Reflection Questions
  • Where has my worship been misdirected?
  • How can I redirect rightly?
Analogy

A child writes letters to her father every birthday, but each year she sends the letter to a different cousin, addressed correctly but routed through the wrong post. The father receives nothing through the proper channel; somehow over years the cousins forward what they can. Some letters arrive late, some torn, some lost. Anya-devatā worship is this routing: the address on the letter is finally Kṛṣṇa, but the delivery is avidhi-pūrvakam — without proper procedure.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 9