Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 9, Verse 24
अहं हि सर्वयज्ञानां भोक्ता च प्रभुरेव च।
न तु मामभिजानन्ति तत्त्वेनातश्च्यवन्ति ते।।
न तु मामभिजानन्ति तत्त्वेनातश्च्यवन्ति ते।।
ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā ca prabhureva ca
na tu mām abhijānanti tattvenātaś cyavanti te
also searched as "aham hi sarvayajnanam bhokta cha prabhureva cha"
Translation
For, I am the only enjoyer and the only Lord of all sacrifices. They do not recognize Me in My true nature; hence, they fall.
Vāṇi's rendering
Every offering feeds me; every offering is mine. But not knowing me as I am, they slip and fall.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अहम्ahaṁ | I |
| हिhi | indeed, for |
| सर्वयज्ञानाम्sarva-yajñānāṁ | of all sacrifices, of every offering |
| भोक्ताbhoktā | the enjoyer, the one who receives |
| चca | and |
| प्रभुःprabhuḥ | the lord, the owner (joined with the next word by sandhi) |
| एवeva | alone, only |
| चca | and |
| नna | not |
| तुtu | but |
| माम्mām | me |
| अभिजानन्तिabhijānanti | they truly know, they recognize |
| तत्त्वेनtattvena | as I really am, in essence (joined with the next word by sandhi) |
| अतःataḥ | therefore, from this |
| च्यवन्तिcyavanti | they slip down, they fall away |
| तेte | they |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 Verse 24 mean?
Krishna says he is both the receiver and the owner of every sacrifice ever made. No offering goes elsewhere. But those who make offerings without knowing whom they reach gain the fruit and then lose it — they slip back. The gift lands; the giver simply never learns where.
What does 'aham hi sarvayajnanam bhokta cha prabhureva cha' mean?
It means: I alone am the one who enjoys all sacrifices, and I alone am their lord. Bhoktā is the one who receives; prabhu is the one to whom it always belonged. Krishna claims both roles at once, leaving nothing on the altar that is not already his.
Why do the worshippers in this verse fall?
They fall not for failing to offer but for failing to recognize. Cyavanti means to slip from a height reached — the merit ends, and the climb begins again. What is missing is tattva, seeing Krishna as he actually is. Devotion without recognition is a loan, not an inheritance.
Does this verse say worship of other gods is useless?
No. Krishna says such worship reaches him — he is the enjoyer of every sacrifice, however addressed. What it does not do is stay. The one who gives without knowing the receiver collects a result and spends it. Knowing changes nothing about the offering and everything about the giver.
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Commentary
Krishna is not asking for the offering. He is saying he already receives it — every one, wherever it is sent, under whatever name. The gods people worship, the fires they feed, the small daily sacrifices of effort and attention: he is the one being fed, and the one who owns the feeding. So why do they fall? Not because the offering was wrong. Because they did not know whom they were reaching. An arrow that finds the target by accident teaches the archer nothing. Look at what you already give yourself to — the work, the person, the fear. Ask who is receiving it.