📿 Shloka Collection

Aham Hi Sarva-yajnanam

Gita 9.24 Bhagavad Gita
📖 Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 9 — Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga
अहं हि सर्वयज्ञानां भोक्ता च प्रभुरेव च ।
न तु मामभिजानन्ति तत्त्वेनातश्च्यवन्ति ते ॥
Aham hi sarva-yajnanam bhokta cha prabhur eva cha
Na tu mam abhijananti tattvena atash chyavanti te
अहम् हि
I alone
सर्वयज्ञानाम्
of all yajnas
भोक्ता
the enjoyer, the one who receives
प्रभुः एव
the Lord himself
न तु
but not
माम् अभिजानन्ति
they truly know me
तत्त्वेन
in truth, in essence
अतः च्यवन्ति
therefore they fall, they stray
ते
they

Krishna connects 9.23 to its root. He is the one who receives all yajnas, the lord of all worship. Whether the devotee knows it or not, every offering reaches him. But those who do not know him in truth — 'tattvena' — they miss the mark and keep wandering.

Knowing someone's name is one thing. Understanding their nature at depth is another. A child knows their mother's name. But as they grow, they begin to see her struggles, her love, her sacrifices — and the relationship deepens. 'Tattvena' asks for that deeper knowing, beyond names and forms.

This shloka pairs with 9.23. There, Krishna said devotees of other deities are really worshipping him. Here, he explains why incomplete knowledge limits the fruit of that worship.

The Mundaka Upanishad declares: 'Brahma veda brahmaiva bhavati' — the one who knows Brahman in essence becomes Brahman. That is the fullness of knowledge that 'tattvena' points to.

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