Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 9, Verse 25
यान्ति देवव्रता देवान् पितृ़न्यान्ति पितृव्रताः।
भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्या यान्ति मद्याजिनोऽपि माम्।।
भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्या यान्ति मद्याजिनोऽपि माम्।।
yānti deva-vratā devān pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā yānti mad-yājino ’pi mām
also searched as "yanti devavrata devan pitrin yanti pitrivratah"
Translation
Devotees of gods go to the gods; manes-worshippers go to the manes; worshippers of Bhutas go to the Bhutas; and those who worship Me come to Me.
Vāṇi's rendering
Worshippers of gods go to the gods; of ancestors, to the ancestors; of spirits, to spirits. Mine come to me.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| यान्तिyānti | they go, they reach |
| देवव्रताःdeva-vratā(ḥ) | those whose vow is to the shining ones, worshippers of the gods |
| देवान्devān | to the gods |
| पितॄन्pitṝn | to the ancestors, the departed fathers |
| यान्तिyānti | they go |
| पितृव्रताःpitṛ-vratāḥ | those whose vow is to the ancestors |
| भूतानिbhūtāni | to the spirits, the elemental beings |
| यान्तिyānti | they go |
| भूतेज्याःbhūtejyā(ḥ) | those who make offering to spirits (bhūta + ijyā) |
| यान्तिyānti | they come |
| मद्याजिनःmad-yājinaḥ | those who make offering to me; before the following word the ending becomes -no |
| अपिapi | also, equally; appears as 'pi after the elided a |
| माम्mām | to me |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 Verse 25 mean?
It means worship is a direction, and every direction arrives. Those who give themselves to the gods reach the gods; to the ancestors, the ancestors; to spirits, spirits. Each result is exact and each is limited. Krishna names a fourth road only to say where it ends — with him.
What does yanti devavrata devan pitrin yanti pitrivratah mean?
You go where you aimed. The line lists three aims and their honest returns, then adds a fourth. Krishna is not ranking sincerity; every worshipper here is sincere. He is measuring reach. What you hold highest sets the ceiling of where you can arrive.
Is Krishna saying it is wrong to worship other gods or ancestors?
No. He says nothing is wrong with it and nothing is wasted in it. The offering lands, the fruit comes. He only tells you the size of what returns. If you want the gods, take the gods. If you want him, that road is open too.
How do I know what I actually worship?
Watch where your mind goes when it is unguarded — the outcome you rehearse, the approval you replay, the fear you feed. Ritual is easy to name; devotion is harder. Whatever holds your attention without being asked is what you are vowed to, and that is where you are headed.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna does not call the other worships false. He calls them accurate. Whatever you set your heart on, you reach — the gods give what gods can give, the ancestors what ancestors have, the spirits what spirits hold. Nothing is wasted; nothing is more than it is. The verse is not a warning but a measurement. Ask what you actually pray toward when no one is listening. That is your destination, already decided. Krishna adds no threat to the last line. He only says: mine come to me. Notice what you turn toward first each morning; that road is already under your feet.