Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 7, Verse 23
अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम्।
देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि।।
देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि।।
antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavatyalpa-medhasām
devān deva-yajo yānti mad-bhaktā yānti mām api
also searched as "antavat tu phalam tesam tad bhavatyalpa-medhasam"
Translation
But the fruit gained by these men of small understanding is limited. The worshippers of the gods will go to the gods, but My devotees will come to Me.
Vāṇi's rendering
Yet such rewards run out. Worshippers of the gods go to the gods; those who love me come to me.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अन्तवत्antavat | having an end, finite |
| तुtu | but, yet |
| फलम्phalam | fruit, reward |
| तेषाम्teṣām | of those people |
| तत्tat | that |
| भवतिbhavati | is, becomes (joins with the next word by sandhi as bhavatyalpa-) |
| अल्पमेधसाम्alpa-medhasām | of those whose understanding is small |
| देवान्devān | to the gods |
| देवयजःdeva-yajaḥ | those who worship the gods (appears as deva-yajo before yānti) |
| यान्तिyānti | go, reach |
| मद्भक्ताःmad-bhaktāḥ | those devoted to me (appears as mad-bhaktā before yānti) |
| यान्तिyānti | go, come |
| माम्mām | to me |
| अपिapi | also, indeed |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7 Verse 23 mean?
It means every reward won from a limited source is itself limited. Krishna says the fruit of such worship has an end — antavat. Those who seek the gods reach the gods and stay inside that boundary. Those who love Krishna reach Krishna, where there is no boundary and nothing that expires.
What does antavat tu phalam tesam tad bhavatyalpamedhasam teach?
That the effort is not wasted, only short-sighted. The same devotion aimed at a passing end yields a passing result. Krishna does not scold the worshipper; he points out the arithmetic. Small understanding here means asking for less than you could have asked for.
Is Krishna saying it is wrong to worship other gods?
No. He says it is finite. Every sincere approach reaches something, and he himself supplies the faith behind it. But what you reach is shaped by what you sought. Aim at a gift and you receive a gift. Aim at Krishna and you receive Krishna.
How do I know if my prayer is aimed at a small end?
Ask what happens after it is answered. If the answer would leave you asking again, you were praying for a fruit. That is not shameful — it is human. But notice the pattern, and let it teach you that something in you is asking for more than a fruit.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna has just said he grants each worshipper what they ask for. Now he adds the cost. Whatever is given by a form has an end — the reward arrives, it runs out, and you are back asking. He calls this small understanding, not sin; it is simply short accounting. The gods can carry you as far as the gods. Then the ladder stops. What Arjuna is offered instead is not a better prize but a different destination: those who love Krishna arrive at Krishna, and there is nothing there left to run out. Notice what your prayer is actually aimed at.