Bhagavad-gītā 9.21
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ते तं भुक्त्वा स्वर्गलोकं विशालं क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति। एव त्रयीधर्ममनुप्रपन्ना गतागतं कामकामा लभन्ते।।9.21।।
te taṁ bhuktvā swarga-lokaṁ viśhālaṁ kṣhīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśhanti evaṁ trayī-dharmam anuprapannā gatāgataṁ kāma-kāmā labhante
Having enjoyed the vast Swarga-world, they enter the mortal world, on the exhaustion of their merit: Thus, abiding by the injunctions of the three (Vedas), desiring desires, they (constantly) come and go.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Use the word map to follow the relation among te (they), martya-lokam (to the earthly plane), and labhante (attain). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the most confidential royal knowledge. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 9.21.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Observe the chapter’s first-person claims, the relation between Kṛṣṇa and the world, different forms of worship and accessible devotion.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Having enjoyed the vast Swarga-world, they enter the mortal world, on the exhaustion of their merit
- 2
Thus, abiding by the injunctions of the three (Vedas), desiring desires, they (constantly) come and go
- 3
te: they
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 9.21, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 9.21 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 9.21 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 9.21 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 9.21, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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