यान्ति देवव्रता देवान्पितॄन्यान्ति पितृव्रताः | भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्या यान्ति मद्याजिनोऽपि माम् ||२५||
yānti deva-vratā devān pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ | bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā yānti mad-yājino'pi mām || 25 ||
Worshippers of gods go to gods; of ancestors, to ancestors; of spirits, to spirits — My worshippers come to Me.
Word by word (3)
- yānti deva-vratāḥ devān pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
- — Those vowed to the gods go to the gods; those vowed to the ancestors go to the ancestors · yānti = they go, they attain (√yā = to go; third person plural present — 'they go, they attain'). deva-vratāḥ = those vowed to the gods (deva = celestial being, god; vrata = vow, observance — from √vṛ = to choose/commit; deva-vrata = 'those who have taken vows to/for the gods,' those whose primary religious commitment/direction is toward the celestial deities). devān = to/for the gods (accusative plural — the destination: 'they go to the gods,' they attain the realm/condition of the gods). pitṝn = to the ancestors (pitṛ = father, ancestor; pitṝn = accusative plural — 'to the ancestors,' the pitṛ-realm where the ancestors dwell). yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ = those vowed to ancestors go to ancestors (pitṛ-vrata = those whose religious commitments are directed toward the ancestors, those who perform śrāddha ceremonies for the ancestors). V25's first half: the principle of destination-corresponding-to-direction: (1) those oriented toward the celestial gods (deva-vrata) go to the gods; (2) those oriented toward the ancestors (pitṛ-vrata) go to the ancestors. The vrata (vow/commitment) determines the destination (yānti = go to). This is the Gita's most precise statement of the correspondence between devotional direction and spiritual destination.
- bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyāḥ yānti mad-yājinaḥ api mām
- — Those who worship spirits go to spirits — and those who worship Me go to Me · bhūtāni = spirits, beings (bhūta = being that has come into existence; in this context: spirits, lower beings, nature-spirits; bhūtāni = accusative plural — 'to spirits'). yānti = they go. bhūtejyāḥ = worshippers of spirits (bhūta = spirit; ijyā = sacrifice/worship — from √yaj; bhūta-ijyā = worship of spirits; bhūtejyāḥ = plural 'spirit-worshippers'). yānti = they go (parallel structure, repeated for rhythm). mad-yājinaḥ = those who sacrifice to Me, My worshippers (mat = My; yājin = sacrificer, worshipper — from √yaj; mad-yājin = 'My worshipper, one who sacrifices to Me'; api = also, even — emphatic). mām = Me (objective — they go to Me). V25's second half: two more correspondences: (3) bhūtejyāḥ (spirit-worshippers) go to bhūtāni (spirits); (4) mad-yājinaḥ api mām (My worshippers also come to Me). The api (also, even) on mad-yājino'pi mām is emphatic: 'even My worshippers — who would you expect? — they too, as a natural consequence, attain Me.' The four-part structure of V25: gods → deva-vrata; ancestors → pitṛ-vrata; spirits → bhūtejyā; Me → mad-yājin. The principle: the direction of devotional vow/commitment determines the spiritual destination. Therefore: if liberation (mām upetya, no rebirth) is the goal, direct the vow/commitment toward the divine as revealed in Ch.9 (mām = the divine of V16-V24). V22's ananya orientation is the V25 mad-yājin orientation at its highest intensity.
- yānti mad-yājino'pi mām — the direct statement of destination for My worshippers
- — V25's closing clause (yānti mad-yājinaḥ api mām) is the Gita's declaration that those who worship the divine as revealed in Ch.9 attain the divine — the conclusion of the pluralism arc (V23-V25) · yānti mad-yājino'pi mām is V25's culminating statement. The api (also, even) creates an emphatic rhetorical effect: after listing three categories (god-worshippers → gods, ancestor-worshippers → ancestors, spirit-worshippers → spirits), the verse adds 'and even MY worshippers — they naturally attain Me (mām).' The 'even' is not diminishing: it is the natural completion of the pattern. And the 'mām' (Me) here refers to the divine as fully revealed in Ch.9: the divine who IS the sacrifice (V16), the Father-Mother-OM (V17), the Goal-Witness-Carrier (V18-V22), the bhoktā of all sacrifice (V24). Reaching 'mām' (this divine) is mām upetya = reaching the divine directly = liberation (na punar janma, not returning to rebirth). V25 thus closes the V23-V24-V25 arc with its full implication: all paths reach the divine somehow (V23 = anya-devatā-bhaktāḥ reach mām too), but the direction of devotion determines how they reach the divine (V25 = direction → destination). The direct path (mad-yājin → mām) is V22's ananya orientation — the most direct, the most complete, the highest. V25's mad-yājino'pi mām (my worshippers also come to Me) is confirmed and elaborated in V26 (patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyam = any offering from a devoted heart is received) and V27 (yat karoṣi... tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam = whatever you do, offer it to Me).
V25 states the Gita's law of devotional destination: the direction of your religious commitment/vow determines your spiritual destination. deva-vratāḥ (those vowed to gods) → devān (go to gods). pitṛ-vratāḥ (those vowed to ancestors) → pitṝn (go to ancestors). bhūtejyāḥ (spirit-worshippers) → bhūtāni (go to spirits). Mad-yājinaḥ (My worshippers) → mām (come to Me). Coming to 'Me' = liberation (V9.25 closes the V23-V25 arc: all worship reaches the divine, V23; all sacrifice received by the divine as bhoktā, V24; but the destination corresponds to the direction, V25).
A modern analogy
Navigation: if you set your GPS to take you to downtown, you'll reach downtown (deva-vrata → devān). If you set it to take you to the outskirts, you'll reach the outskirts (pitṛ-vrata → pitṝn). V23 says: the divine is present at all these destinations. V24 says: the divine is the bhoktā who receives at all these destinations. V25 says: but only if you set your GPS to the Source itself (mad-yājin → mām) will you reach the Source. The other destinations are real and reachable — but they are not the Source. V22's ananya orientation = the GPS set precisely to the Source.
What it does NOT mean
V25 does not say god-worshippers, ancestor-worshippers, and spirit-worshippers are wrong or that their worship is wasted. V23 already established: they too worship the divine (te'pi mām eva). V25 adds: their worship takes them to the specific destination corresponding to their devotional direction. The gods are real (V23's anya-devatā-bhaktāḥ really do reach their deities). The point: only mad-yājin (My worshippers) attain mām (Me, the source itself) — the final destination, liberation.
Take with you
- V25's principle as a self-assessment: what is my primary devotional direction? What vow or orientation does my spiritual life move toward at its deepest level? Gods (deva = external forms of the divine)? Ancestors (pitṛ = honoring the lineage)? Spirits/nature (bhūta = the natural world as sacred)? Or the divine ground itself (mām = the one from V16-V22)? V25 says: you will reach what you are oriented toward. The question is not 'which practice' but 'what direction does my deepest vow/orientation point?'
- V25 as a teaching on spiritual strategy: given V25's law (direction → destination), the most efficient path to the supreme destination (mām upetya, liberation) is to orient the deepest vow toward the supreme directly. Not 'wrong' to worship deities or honor ancestors — these are real and beneficial — but if the ultimate goal is liberation (V9's rāja-guhyam of V2), then the direction must be toward mām (V22's ananya orientation).
- V25-V26-V27 as Ch.9's practical instruction sequence: V25 = direct your worship toward Me; V26 = even the smallest offering from a devoted heart is received; V27 = whatever you do, offer it to Me as mad-arpaṇam. This three-verse sequence is the most practical and accessible instruction in Ch.9 — applicable to anyone, regardless of their spiritual tradition or practice level.
V9.25 is the final verse of the V23-V25 pluralism arc and the teaching that gives the arc its full theological precision. The three-verse sequence: - V23: inclusivism — all sincere worship reaches the divine - V24: grounding — because I am the bhoktā (universal receiver) of all sacrifice - V25: differentiation — but the destination corresponds to the direction of the devotional vow V25's four-part schema (gods → deva-vrata; ancestors → pitṛ-vrata; spirits → bhūtejyā; Me → mad-yājin) is a complete map of devotional destinations. It connects to Ch.8's two-path teaching (V8.23-V8.25): deva-yāna (bright path, not returning) corresponds to V25's mad-yājin → mām; pitṛ-yāna (dark path, returning) corresponds to V25's pitṛ-vrata → pitṝn and the V20-V21 trayī-dharma cycle. The verse's theological precision: V23 prevents exclusivism (NOT: only my path is valid); V25 prevents relativism (NOT: all paths lead to the same destination). The Gita's position: all paths are valid (V23) + different paths lead to different destinations (V25). This is what contemporary theologians call 'differentiated pluralism' — recognizing both the validity of diverse paths and the reality of genuine differences in where they lead. The mad-yājino'pi mām (api = even/also) at the end of V25 is the teaching's culmination: after all the other destinations have been named, 'even My worshippers — they naturally come to Me.' The 'even' is not surprise but completion: the full arc of destinations has been mapped, and the highest destination is explicitly the divine ground itself (mām = the divine of V16-V24). V25 closes the V23-V25 arc and opens the V26-V27 practical arc: now that the destination has been established (mad-yājin → mām), how does one become a mad-yājin? V26 answers: any offering with devotion; V27 answers: whatever you do, offer it to Me.
Advaita lens
Shankaracharya: deva-vrata, pitṛ-vrata, bhūtejyā are all worship of vyāvahārika (relative/conventional) divine forms; mad-yājin worship reaches the paramārthika (absolute) level — Brahman itself. The different destinations correspond to the different levels of reality: gods, ancestors, and spirits are all within the realm of māyā/vyāvahārika reality; mām (the supreme Brahman) is the paramārthika reality beyond. Liberation = reaching the paramārthika level through V22's ananya-knowing.
Bhakti lens
For Rāmānuja: V25's mad-yājino'pi mām establishes that prapanna devotees (those fully surrendered to the supreme Lord) attain the Lord directly — not an intermediate destination but the Lord's own abode (Vaikuṇṭha in Vaiṣṇava tradition). V25's four categories correspond to the Śrī Vaiṣṇava understanding of different forms of devotion leading to different levels of attainment: only śaraṇāgati (complete surrender) directed at the supreme Lord leads to ultimate liberation.
Karma-Yoga lens
V25 for karma yoga: the karma yogi who offers all action to the divine (mad-arpaṇam, V9.27) IS V25's mad-yājin in action. The direction of the karma yoga offering (toward mām — the divine as the bhoktā of all sacrifice, V24) determines the destination (mām — the divine ground itself). Karma yoga that is directed toward specific limited results (career success, social good, family welfare) is V25's deva-vrata or pitṛ-vrata equivalent in action — reaching real results but not the supreme. Karma yoga directed toward mad-arpaṇam (total offering to the divine) is V25's mad-yājin in action.
Modern parallels
V25's destination-direction correspondence parallels systems theory's concept of 'attractors': different dynamical systems have different attractors (stable states) toward which the system naturally moves. The devotee who is a deva-vrata has the celestial realm as their attractor; the mad-yājin has the divine ground as their attractor. V25 says: your attractor is set by your devotional direction. Choose your attractor deliberately (V22's ananya orientation = choosing the supreme attractor).
Practice
V25 destination-setting meditation: sit and hold the question: 'What is my deepest devotional direction right now?' Not what you think it should be but what it actually is — where does the heart's deepest orientation point? Then: 'I am setting my vow (vrata) toward mām — the divine as revealed in V16-V22: the carrier, the bhoktā, the ground of existence.' Feel the setting of this vow in the body — a subtle orientation shift, a turning of the deepest compass toward the source. Rest in this orientation for 10 minutes. This is V25's mad-yājin orientation in practice.
Public-domain translations (3) compare all →
Those who worship the gods go to the gods; those who worship the Manes (ancestors) go to the Manes; those who worship the Devas (elements/spirits) go to the Devas; those who worship Me come to Me. [4]
Those who worship the gods go to the gods; those who worship the manes go to them; those who worship the elemental beings go to them; those who worship me come to me. [6]
Yea! those who worship Me come unto Me, / And theirs is peace, and theirs is rest; / Who worship gods, go to the gods; / Who worship fathers, to the fathers goes. [7]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Even devotees of other gods who worship with faith — they too worship Me, though not by the ordained method, O Arjuna.
A leaf, a flower, a fruit, a drop of water — offered with devotion, I receive it: the striving heart's gift is enough.
Fire, Light, Day, waxing fortnight, six months of Northern sun — taking this path, Brahman-knowers reach Brahman.
Bow down, arrows scattered, warrior collapsed — this is where the Gita begins.
I am your student. My mind is bewildered about what is right. Teach me.
Instrument, offering, fire, act, destination — all Brahman. One absorbed in Brahman-action reaches Brahman alone.