Know the true receiver of sacrifice.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
अहं हि सर्वयज्ञानां भोक्ता च प्रभुरेव च |न तु मामभिजानन्ति तत्त्वेनातश्च्यवन्ति ते ||९-२४||
ahaṃ hi sarvayajñānāṃ bhoktā ca prabhureva ca . na tu māmabhijānanti tattvenātaścyavanti te ||9-24||
Use this verse before rituals or donations.
Meaning
I am the enjoyer and Lord of all sacrifices, but those who do not know Me in truth fall away.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna is the real receiver of every sacred offering.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Ritual becomes complete when the seeker knows Krishna as the ultimate Lord and enjoyer, not just the external form.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna clarifies why incomplete worship yields incomplete fruit. He alone is the bhokta — the true enjoyer and receiver — of every sacrifice, and the prabhu, its Lord. Whatever is offered anywhere, to any deity, ultimately reaches him. The offering is never lost; it is simply misunderstood.
But because such worshippers 'do not know Me in essence' — they fail to recognise the one Reality their devotion truly addresses — they chyavanti, they fall, returning to the cycle of birth and death. The defect is not in their sincerity but in their realisation.
This verse completes the thought of the previous one: faith reaches the Divine, but only true knowledge of the Divine frees us. Sincerity opens the door; understanding carries us through it. The Gita asks for both a devoted heart and an awakened vision.
In daily life
Offer rituals, work, and charity to Krishna consciously.
Giving charity with Krishna awareness changes giving from image-building to devotion.
Try this today
Dedicate one good action to Krishna today.
Krishna is the receiver of my offerings.Reflect
Who is the true receiver of my actions?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘न तु माम् अभिजानन्ति’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on sacrifice, in other chapters
- Verse 4.23When work is offered as sacrifice by a mind rooted in wisdom, it dissolves without leaving any binding trace.
- Verse 7.2Seek the knowing that is also realised in experience, for that alone leaves nothing essential still to be sought.
- Verse 3.15Selfless action connects you to the divine source of all things — your work, offered rightly, becomes a form of worship.
- Verse 18.70To study these teachings sincerely is itself an act of worship offered to the Divine.
Swipe left for 9.25 · The heart reaches what it worships.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 9.24
Who says Bhagavad Gita 9.24, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 9.24, in Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Yoga (Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 9.24 mean?
I am the enjoyer and Lord of all sacrifices, but those who do not know Me in truth fall away. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 9.24 for daily life?
Offer rituals, work, and charity to Krishna consciously. Giving charity with Krishna awareness changes giving from image-building to devotion.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 9.24 mean?
अहं हि — I indeed; सर्वयज्ञानाम् — of all sacrifices; भोक्ता च — the enjoyer / receiver; प्रभुः एव च — and also the Lord; न तु माम् अभिजानन्ति — but they do not truly know Me.
Where does verse 9.24 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 24 of 34 in Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Yoga. The next verse is 9.25.