Gita 09.24 – Education about reality is not discrimination against certain features of reality
ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ
bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca
na tu mām abhijānanti
tattvenātaś cyavanti te (Bg 9.24)
Word-to-word:
aham — I; hi — surely; sarva — of all; yajñānām — sacrifices; bhoktā — the enjoyer; ca — and; prabhuḥ — the Lord; eva — also; ca — and; na — not; tu — but; mām — Me; abhijānanti — they know; tattvena — in reality; ataḥ — therefore; cyavanti — fall down; te — they.
Translation:
I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Therefore, those who do not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down.
Explanation:
ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ: I am the enjoyer of all yajñas
bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca: and indeed, I am the master as well
na tu mām abhijānanti: but they do not know Me in this way,
tattvena ataḥ cyavanti te: in truth; therefore, they fall down.
In the previous verse (9.23), Kṛṣṇa states, ye ’py anya-devatā-bhaktā yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ te ’pi mām eva kaunteya yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam—those who worship other gods are also worshiping Kṛṣṇa, but they do so in an unauthorized manner. What exactly is meant by “unauthorized”?
Earlier, Kṛṣṇa explains that those who worship the various devatās through karma-kāṇḍa attain the heavenly planets, but after exhausting their pious credits, they return to the mortal world: kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti (9.21). In contrast, He declares, yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (9.22)—those who worship Kṛṣṇa are personally protected by Him. Why is there such a difference in the destinations of those who worship the devatās and those who worship Kṛṣṇa? Is this a form of partiality? No.
The reason lies in the nature of Absolute Truth. Results correspond to one’s understanding of that truth, and a lack of proper understanding of the Supreme Reality necessarily leads to limited and temporary outcomes.
Just as we can consider diet: one company sells natural, healthy food, while another sells artificial junk food. A doctor may say that if you eat food from the first company, you will remain healthy, whereas if you consume food from the second company, you will fall sick. Someone might mistakenly think that the doctor is promoting one company and is biased against the other. Of course, in some cases doctors may receive incentives to promote certain products, but in this instance, it may simply be the truth. Certain foods are beneficial for the body, and certain foods are not. Pointing out this difference should not be seen as discrimination; rather, it is education.
Kṛṣṇa is telling us that He is the Absolute Truth, and to the extent that we harmonize ourselves with that truth, to that extent we live in its light. Conversely, to the extent that we are disharmonized with that truth, we are distanced from reality and remain in darkness. Just as different kinds of diets have different effects on the body, similarly, different kinds of worship have different consequences for our consciousness.
What, then, is the reality here? Ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca—Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Person. He is the ultimate beneficiary, the enjoyer, and the master of all yajñas. The use of the word “yajna” is significant because it has appeared repeatedly, beginning in the third chapter and then extensively in the fourth chapter. This particular line of analysis in the ninth chapter begins at 9.15, where Kṛṣṇa says, jñāna-yajñena cāpy anye yajanto mām upāsate.
Here, Kṛṣṇa refers to those who use their knowledge to worship the Absolute Truth in various manifestations, sometimes with proper conceptions and sometimes with improper ones. From verses 16 through 24, He elaborates on these different approaches—at times correcting mistaken understandings and at other times presenting the correct perspective.
Here, in 9.24, He states that He is the master of everything that exists and the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices. Those who do not know this—na tu mām abhijānanti—those who do not understand His true position, fall down because of their lack of knowledge of the truth (tattvenātaś cyavanti te).
There is a certain kind of conception that brings out our transcendence, and there are other kinds of conceptions about the object of worship, about the Absolute Truth, that do not bring out transcendence. The pure spiritual consciousness of the soul is presently covered, and for it to become manifest requires a certain level of purification. To attain that level of purification, we need a proper understanding of what the Absolute Truth is, so that we can become devoted to the right object.
What is important for us is the recognition that we cannot move toward the same destination while holding different conceptions, because progress on the spiritual path is not physical movement but conceptual evolution. It is our understanding that gradually changes. If our conception itself is imprecise, and if purification does not lead toward greater precision in that conception, then our progress will not be as substantial as it would be if we had the right conception—or were at least moving toward the right conception.
Thus, what we need is an understanding of Kṛṣṇa’s position as the Absolute Truth and the harmonization of our efforts at purification with that understanding. Just as a person who walks off a ten-story building cannot claim that it is discrimination that he is falling while someone standing safely on the terrace is not, the principle itself is not discriminatory. Gravity is not discriminating; it is the person who has acted without discernment by stepping off the terrace.
Those who take shelter of the Absolute Truth, who is transcendental, are elevated to transcendence. But those who take shelter of something other than the Absolute Truth are no longer sheltered in transcendence. In fact, they never truly attain it. The capacity of other shelters to provide protection is temporary, and once that capacity is exhausted, those who rely on them inevitably fall away. Just as one may worship devatās and be elevated to their abodes, but when the accumulated piety is exhausted, the devatās cannot protect their worshipers from falling. They then fall. Because of the manner in which they chose to worship, they rise—but they also fall.
Kṛṣṇa is stressing this point: because there is an Absolute Truth, not understanding or harmonizing with that Absolute Truth will have consequences. One such consequence is that one will fall. Here, falling does not mean descending into sinful activities; rather, it means failing to move toward the transcendental destination. What destination one attains as a result of this will be explained by Kṛṣṇa in the next verse, which we will discuss in our future talks.
Thank you.
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