Knowledge can become worship.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
ज्ञानयज्ञेन चाप्यन्ये यजन्तो मामुपासते |एकत्वेन पृथक्त्वेन बहुधा विश्वतोमुखम् ||९-१५||
jñānayajñena cāpyanye yajanto māmupāsate . ekatvena pṛthaktvena bahudhā viśvatomukham ||9-15||
Use this verse for study-as-worship practice.
Meaning
Others worship Me through the sacrifice of knowledge, seeing Me as one, as distinct, and as the many-faced universe.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Different seekers worship Krishna through different understandings.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna accepts devotion through knowledge too. The Divine may be contemplated as unity, distinction, or universal multiplicity.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna now honours the path of jnana-yajna, the 'sacrifice of knowledge' — worship offered through contemplation and inquiry rather than outward ritual. He acknowledges that seekers approach the Divine through different understandings: some as ekatva, the absolute One; some as prithaktva, the Lord distinct from the worshipper; and some as bahudha, the manifold deity present in countless forms.
The calls himself vishvato-mukham, 'the All-faced,' turned toward every direction at once. This is a remarkably generous vision: the same Reality receives the monist, the dualist, and the polytheist alike, for all are reaching toward the one Truth through the shape their hearts can hold.
Krishna does not insist on a single theology but welcomes every sincere approach. Spiritual maturity lies in recognising that diverse paths can ascend the same mountain.
In daily life
Turn study into reverence, not intellectual pride.
A learner studying Vedanta can do it as an offering to Krishna.
Try this today
Begin study with a short offering prayer.
My learning becomes worship.Reflect
Does my study increase humility or pride?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘ज्ञानयज्ञेन’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on unity, in other chapters
- Verse 5.4Go deep in one sincere path rather than worrying you've chosen wrong — all true paths arrive at the same goal.
- Verse 18.70To study these teachings sincerely is itself an act of worship offered to the Divine.
- Verse 4.30Every sincere act of self-offering, in whatever form, purifies the heart — the path matters less than the spirit of sacrifice.
- Verse 6.29A harmonized mind sees one Self in all beings and all beings in the Self — the vision of true oneness.
Swipe left for 9.16 · All sacred offering is filled with Krishna.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 9.15
Who says Bhagavad Gita 9.15, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 9.15, in Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Yoga (Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 9.15 mean?
Others worship Me through the sacrifice of knowledge, seeing Me as one, as distinct, and as the many-faced universe. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 9.15 for daily life?
Turn study into reverence, not intellectual pride. A learner studying Vedanta can do it as an offering to Krishna.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 9.15 mean?
ज्ञानयज्ञेन — by the sacrifice of knowledge; च अपि अन्ये — and also others; यजन्तः — sacrificing / worshipping; माम् उपासते — worship Me; एकत्वेन — as one / in oneness.
Where does verse 9.15 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 15 of 34 in Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Yoga. The next verse is 9.16.