Merit can give pleasure, but not final freedom.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
त्रैविद्या मां सोमपाः पूतपापायज्ञैरिष्ट्वा स्वर्गतिं प्रार्थयन्ते |ते पुण्यमासाद्य सुरेन्द्रलोक-मश्नन्ति दिव्यान्दिवि देवभोगान् ||९-२०||
traividyā māṃ somapāḥ pūtapāpā yajñairiṣṭvā svargatiṃ prārthayante . te puṇyamāsādya surendralokaṃ aśnanti divyāndivi devabhogān ||9-20||
Use this verse when practice becomes reward-focused.
Meaning
Those who know the three Vedas, drink Soma, and worship through sacrifice seek heaven and enjoy divine pleasures there.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Desire-based ritual can lead to heavenly enjoyment.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna acknowledges ritual merit, but He is preparing to show that heavenly rewards are still temporary.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna describes the path of those who follow the ritual portion of the Vedas seeking reward. Versed in the three Vedas, drinking the sacred soma, and cleansed of sins through sacrifice, they worship — but with their eyes fixed on svarga, heaven. Their prayer is for celestial pleasure. Reaching Indra's luminous realm, they enjoy the refined delights of the gods.
There is no condemnation here, yet a subtle limitation is being marked. These seekers approach the Divine, but as a means to an end — heavenly enjoyment. Their devotion is transactional.
As the next verse will reveal, such heaven is temporary. Krishna gently distinguishes worship that seeks gifts from worship that seeks the Giver. Spiritual practice motivated by reward, however pure, still binds us to the wheel of getting and losing, rather than freeing us into the Divine itself.
In daily life
Do good actions, but do not stop at reward-seeking.
A person may donate for blessings but later mature into selfless devotion.
Try this today
Add a selfless intention to one ritual.
I seek transformation beyond reward.Reflect
Am I practicing for reward or transformation?
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Quick check
What does ‘अश्नन्ति दिव्यान् देवभोगान्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on heaven, in other chapters
- Verse 2.43Examine whether your spiritual practice is genuinely oriented toward freedom and wisdom, or whether it is simply a refined strategy for satisfying the same desires in more acceptable forms.
- Verse 8.16Even the highest heaven is temporary; aim not for a better place within the cycle but for freedom from it altogether.
- Verse 11.48No effort or ritual alone can compel the highest vision; it is finally a gift of grace beyond all technique.
- Verse 15.1Look past the visible branches of life to the unseen divine root that sustains everything.
Swipe left for 9.21 · Desire keeps the soul moving in cycles.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 9.20
Who says Bhagavad Gita 9.20, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 9.20, in Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Yoga (Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 9.20 mean?
Those who know the three Vedas, drink Soma, and worship through sacrifice seek heaven and enjoy divine pleasures there. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 9.20 for daily life?
Do good actions, but do not stop at reward-seeking. A person may donate for blessings but later mature into selfless devotion.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 9.20 mean?
त्रैविद्याः — knowers of the three Vedas; माम् — Me; सोमपाः — drinkers of Soma; पूतपापाः — purified of sin; यज्ञैः इष्ट्वा — having worshipped by sacrifices.
Where does verse 9.20 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 20 of 34 in Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Yoga. The next verse is 9.21.