Bhagavad-gītā 9.23
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
येऽप्यन्यदेवता भक्ता यजन्ते श्रद्धयाऽन्विताः। तेऽपि मामेव कौन्तेय यजन्त्यविधिपूर्वकम्।।9.23।।
ye ’pyanya-devatā-bhaktā yajante śhraddhayānvitāḥ te ’pi mām eva kaunteya yajantyavidhi-pūrvakam
Even those devotees, who endued with Shraddhâ, worship other gods, they too worship Me alone, O son of Kunti, (but) by the wrong method.
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 |
|---|---|
| ye | those who |
| api | although |
| anya | other |
| devatā | celestial gods |
| bhaktāḥ | devotees |
| yajante | worship |
| śhraddhayā anvitāḥ | faithfully |
| te | they |
| api | also |
| mām | me |
| eva | only |
| kaunteya | Arjun, the son of Kunti |
| yajanti | worship |
| avidhi-pūrvakam | by the wrong method |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through ye (those who), te (they), and avidhi-pūrvakam (by the wrong method). 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 9.23.
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
Even those devotees, who endued with Shraddhâ, worship other gods, they too worship Me alone, O son of Kunti, (but) by the wrong method
- 2
ye: those who
- 3
te: they
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 9.23, 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 9.23 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 9.23 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 9.23 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 9.23, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition