The heart reaches what it worships.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
यान्ति देवव्रता देवान्पितॄन्यान्ति पितृव्रताः |भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्या यान्ति मद्याजिनोऽपि माम् ||९-२५||
yānti devavratā devānpitṝnyānti pitṛvratāḥ . bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā yānti madyājino.api mām ||9-25||
Use this verse to audit your real priorities.
Meaning
Worshippers of devas go to devas, worshippers of ancestors go to ancestors, worshippers of spirits go to spirits, and My worshippers come to Me.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Your worship shapes your destination.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna teaches spiritual direction. The object of devotion matters because the mind moves toward what it worships.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna states a clear spiritual law: we become what we worship, and we reach what we hold in our hearts. Those who worship the devas attain the celestial realms of those gods; ancestor-worshippers join the pitris; those who propitiate elemental spirits attain their level. Each form of devotion bears fruit precisely matched to its aim.
The crowning line follows: 'but My worshippers come to Me.' Since every other destination is finite and temporary, only those who set the Supreme as their goal attain the Supreme — which alone is eternal. The principle is profound and practical: the object of our deepest attention shapes our ultimate destiny.
We grow toward what we revere. To aim at the highest is therefore not arrogance but wisdom, for the heart's aspiration quietly determines where the whole of life is heading.
In daily life
Choose your highest devotion carefully.
If a person worships status, life moves toward status; if Krishna, toward Krishna.
Try this today
Audit your top three attention targets today.
My devotion moves toward Krishna.Reflect
What am I truly worshipping through my daily attention?
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Quick check
What does ‘भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्याः’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on aspiration, in other chapters
- Verse 6.44Even the mere sincere desire to know the spiritual already lifts you above ordinary seeking and carries you onward.
- Verse 7.3To even seek the highest truth is rare; to know it in essence, rarer still — so treasure the longing when it stirs in you.
- Verse 8.11The goal worth disciplining your life for is the imperishable reality that sages spend their lives seeking to enter.
- Verse 11.26 · ArjunaEven those we love most are held within the Divine's vast unfolding, far beyond our hands to save or destroy.
Swipe left for 9.26 · Love makes a small offering sacred.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 9.25
Who says Bhagavad Gita 9.25, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 9.25, in Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Yoga (Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 9.25 mean?
Worshippers of devas go to devas, worshippers of ancestors go to ancestors, worshippers of spirits go to spirits, and My worshippers come to Me. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 9.25 for daily life?
Choose your highest devotion carefully. If a person worships status, life moves toward status; if Krishna, toward Krishna.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 9.25 mean?
यान्ति — go / reach; देवव्रताः देवान् — the worshippers of gods reach the gods; पितॄन् यान्ति पितृव्रताः — the worshippers of ancestors reach the ancestors; भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्याः — the worshippers of elemental spirits reach those spirits; यान्ति मद्याजिनः अपि — but My worshippers also reach.
Where does verse 9.25 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 25 of 34 in Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Yoga. The next verse is 9.26.