Bg. 9.24 · Bhagavad-gita As It Is

Devanagari

अहं हि सर्वयज्ञानां भोक्ता च प्रभुरेव च । न तु मामभिजानन्ति तत्त्वेनातश्‍च्‍यवन्ति ते ॥ २४ ॥

Verse text

ahaṁ hi sarva-yajṣānāṁ bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca na tu mām abhijānanti tattvenātaś cyavanti te

Synonyms

aham — I ; hi — surely ; sarva — of all ; yajṣānām — sacrifices ; bhoktā — the enjoyer ; ca — and ; prabhuḥ — the Lord ; eva — also ; ca — and ; na — not ; tu — but ; mām — Me ; abhijānanti — they know ; tattvena — in reality ; ataḥ — therefore ; cyavanti — fall down ; te — they.

Translation

I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Therefore, those who do not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

24. I am the enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Those who do not know Me in truth fall down.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

24. I am the enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Those who do not know Me in truth continue to take brith.

Purport

Here it is clearly stated that there are many types of yajṣa performances recommended in the Vedic literatures, but actually all of them are meant for satisfying the Supreme Lord. Yajṣa means Viṣṇu. In the Third Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly stated that one should only work for satisfying Yajṣa, or Viṣṇu. The perfectional form of human civilization, known as varṇāśrama-dharma, is specifically meant for satisfying Viṣṇu. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa says in this verse, “I am the enjoyer of all sacrifices because I am the supreme master.” Less intelligent persons, however, without knowing this fact, worship demigods for temporary benefit. Therefore they fall down to material existence and do not achieve the desired goal of life. If, however, anyone has any material desire to be fulfilled, he had better pray for it to the Supreme Lord (although that is not pure devotion), and he will thus achieve the desired result.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

This verse expands on the phrase avidhi-pūrvakam. I am the only enjoyer of the fruits, , and I am the only master (prabhu), and the only giver of fruits, through the forms of these devatās. But they do not know this about Me factually. For instance, such persons think, “I am a worshipper of the sun. May the sun be pleased with me and give me my desired results. The sun is the Supreme Lord, not Nārāyaṇa. He gives me faith to worship him, and gives the results of my worship.” Thus lacking true knowledge about Me, they return to this world. But those who worship Me as the form of the universe, understanding that they are worshipping Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Lord through the form of the sun, attain liberation. It is thus indicated here that one must worship the Lord’s vibhūtis such as the sun while understanding that they are vibhūtis of the Lord.

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

The Lord shows how they do not follow the proper rules. I alone, through the forms of Indra and others, am the enjoyer of all sacrifices, the master, the protector, and giver of results. They do not know Me as such (tattvena). Therefore they continue to take birth in this world (cyavanti).

Surrender Unto Me

It is not the actual performance of sacrifice, it is consciousness that gives potency to the activity. In order to contrast this point about the different destinations between the demigods' worshipers and Krsna's worshipers, Krsna says: