Seek the eternal, not only the temporary.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम् |देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि ||७-२३||
antavattu phalaṃ teṣāṃ tadbhavatyalpamedhasām . devāndevayajo yānti madbhaktā yānti māmapi ||7-23||
Use this verse when temporary success feels ultimate.
Meaning
The fruits gained by such limited understanding are temporary. Worshippers of the devas go to the devas, but My devotees come to Me.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Temporary goals produce temporary results.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna contrasts limited fruits with the ultimate goal of reaching Him. The verse encourages seekers to move from temporary benefits to lasting devotion.
Read the traditional 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.
In daily life
Use material goals wisely but do not make them final.
Career success matters, but it cannot replace spiritual fulfillment.
Try this today
Name one temporary goal and one eternal aim.
I seek Krishna beyond temporary fruits.Reflect
Am I chasing temporary fruits as final happiness?
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Quick check
What does ‘देवान् देवयजः यान्ति’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on impermanence, in other chapters
- Verse 5.22Pleasures from sense-contact begin and end, and their ending breeds pain — the wise don't stake their joy on what won't last.
- Verse 9.34Offer your mind, heart, actions, and reverence wholly to the Divine, and you are drawn inevitably toward union.
- Verse 2.19Your essential Self cannot be the perpetrator or the victim of any action — the soul is the eternal witness beyond cause and effect.
- Verse 8.20Beyond every cycle of creation and dissolution abides an eternal reality that remains untouched when all else perishes.
Swipe left for 7.24 · Do not reduce Krishna to the ordinary.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 7.23
Who says Bhagavad Gita 7.23, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 7.23, in Chapter 7, Jnana Vijnana Yoga (Jnana Vijnana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 7.23 mean?
The fruits gained by such limited understanding are temporary. Worshippers of the devas go to the devas, but My devotees come to Me. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 7.23 for daily life?
Use material goals wisely but do not make them final. Career success matters, but it cannot replace spiritual fulfillment.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 7.23 mean?
अन्तवत् तु फलम् — but the fruit is finite / perishable; तेषाम् तत् भवति — that accrues to them; अल्पमेधसाम् — of those of small intelligence; देवान् देवयजः यान्ति — the worshippers of the gods go to the gods; मद्भक्ताः यान्ति माम् अपि — but My devotees come to Me.
Where does verse 7.23 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 23 of 30 in Chapter 7, Jnana Vijnana Yoga. The next verse is 7.24.