Chapter 7, Verse 23
अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम् | देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि ||७-२३||
antavattu phalaṃ teṣāṃ tadbhavatyalpamedhasām . devāndevayajo yānti madbhaktā yānti māmapi ||7-23||
Meaning
7.23 Verily the reward (fruit) that accrues to those men of small intelligence is finite. The worshippers of the gods go to them, but My devotees come to Me.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna draws a clear distinction in outcomes. The fruits won by worshipping lesser deities for particular desires are antavat — finite, perishable. They satisfy for a time, then fade, leaving the seeker to crave again. Such worshippers reach the limited realms of those gods. But His own devotees, who seek Him for Himself, come to Him — the imperishable, the endless.
The verse is not a put-down but a clarification of value. There is nothing wrong with the smaller fruits; they simply do not last. The Gita invites us to ask what we truly want — a stream of temporary gains that must be won again and again, or the abiding fullness that needs no renewal. Where we aim our deepest devotion determines where we ultimately arrive. Aim high, Krishna suggests, and you reach the inexhaustible.
💡 Key Takeaway
Temporary aims yield temporary rewards; aim your deepest devotion at the Eternal and you arrive at what never fades.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच | मय्यासक्तमनाः पार्थ योगं युञ्जन्मदाश्रयः | असंशयं समग्रं मां यथा ज्ञास्यसि तच्छृणु ||७-१||
śrībhagavānuvāca . mayyāsaktamanāḥ pārtha yogaṃ yuñjanmadāśrayaḥ . asaṃśayaṃ samagraṃ māṃ yathā jñāsyasi tacchṛṇu ||7-1||
7.1 The Blessed Lord said O Arjuna, hear how you shall without doubt know Me fully, with the mind intent on Me, practising Yoga and taking refuge in Me.
एतद्योनीनि भूतानि सर्वाणीत्युपधारय | अहं कृत्स्नस्य जगतः प्रभवः प्रलयस्तथा ||७-६||
etadyonīni bhūtāni sarvāṇītyupadhāraya . ahaṃ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ prabhavaḥ pralayastathā ||7-6||
7.6 Know that these two (Natures) are the womb of all beings. So I am the source and dissolution of the whole universe.
बीजं मां सर्वभूतानां विद्धि पार्थ सनातनम् | बुद्धिर्बुद्धिमतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम् ||७-१०||
bījaṃ māṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ viddhi pārtha sanātanam . buddhirbuddhimatāmasmi tejastejasvināmaham ||7-10||
7.10 Know Me, O Arjuna, as the eternal seed of all beings; I am the intelligence of the intelligent; the splendour of the splendid objects am I.