Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9, Verse 20

Chapter 9 – Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

त्रैविद्या मां सोमपाः पूतपापा
यज्ञैरिष्ट्वा स्वर्गतिं प्रार्थयन्ते ।
ते पुण्यमासाद्य सुरेन्द्रलोक-
मश्नन्ति दिव्यान्दिवि देवभोगान् ॥

Transliteration

traividyā māṃ somapāḥ pūtapāpā yajñairiṣṭvā svargatiṃ prārthayante .
te puṇyamāsādya surendralokaṃ aśnanti divyāndivi devabhogān ॥

Meaning

Those versed in the three Vedas, who drink the soma and are purified of sin, worship Me through sacrifices and pray for the way to heaven. Reaching the holy world of the king of the gods through their merit, they enjoy in heaven the celestial pleasures of the gods.

Word meanings

त्रैविद्याः – knowers of the rituals of the three Vedas
माम् – Me
सोमपाः – drinkers of soma
पूतपापाः – purified of sin
यज्ञैः – through sacrifices
इष्ट्वा – having worshipped
स्वर्गतिम् – the way to heaven
प्रार्थयन्ते – they seek
ते – they
पुण्यम् – as fruit of merit, holy
आसाद्य – attaining
सुरेन्द्रलोकम् – the world of Indra
अश्नन्ति – enjoy
दिव्यान् – celestial
दिवि – in heaven
देवभोगान् – pleasures of the gods

Anvaya (word order)

त्रैविद्याः सोमपाः पूतपापाः यज्ञैः माम् इष्ट्वा स्वर्गतिं प्रार्थयन्ते; ते पुण्यं सुरेन्द्रलोकम् आसाद्य दिवि दिव्यान् देवभोगान् अश्नन्ति ।

Explanation

Krishna has shown that He is everything, the sacrifice and its fruit alike. Yet not everyone makes Him the goal. In this verse He describes those who perform Vedic rituals with great care, but whose aim is heavenly happiness rather than the Lord.

They are traividyah, experts in the ritual of the three Vedas, Rig, Yajur and Sama. They are somapah, drinkers of soma in the sacrifice. They are puta-papah, cleansed of sin by the power of their rites. Yajnair ishtva mam: through their sacrifices they in fact worship Krishna Himself, for He is the inner reality of Indra and the other gods, but they do not know this.

They ‘pray for the way to heaven’, and the Lord grants it. Through their merit they reach the world of Indra and enjoy there the divine pleasures of the gods. Krishna does not deny that heavenly joy is real and lovely; He states it plainly.

The point is that these people, having access to the highest, settle for far less. It is like someone who reaches the king’s court and asks only for a few coins, when the king was ready to make him a friend. In the next verse Krishna shows the limit of such happiness.

Context

In verses 16 to 19 Krishna described Himself as sacrifice and as everything in the world. Here He describes those who perform sacrifice with heaven as their aim. The next verse explains that when their merit is exhausted they return to the world of mortals.

Life lesson

Doing good is noble, but if its only aim is enjoyment we settle for very little. Offer your good actions to God and they will bear lasting fruit.

Key terms

Traividya: one versed in the ritual of the three Vedas
Somapa: one who drinks soma in sacrifice
Surendraloka: the world of Indra, heaven
Devabhoga: celestial pleasures of the gods