Bhagavad Gita · 9.20 · Yoga through the King of Sciences·20 of 34
त्रैविद्या मां सोमपाः पूतपापा यज्ञैरिष्ट्वा स्वर्गतिं प्रार्थयन्ते।ते पुण्यमासाद्य सुरेन्द्रलोक मश्नन्ति दिव्यान्दिवि देवभोगान् ॥
trai-vidyā māṁ soma-pāḥ pūta-pāpā yajñair iṣhṭvā svar-gatiṁ
prārthayante te puṇyam āsādya surendra-lokam aśhnanti divyān divi deva-bhogān
Sanskrit recitation
How people reach for God · 9.11–9.25 · Teaching
Translation
The knowers of the three Vedas, the drinkers of Soma, purified of all sins, worshipping Me through sacrifices, pray for the way to heaven; they reach the holy world of the Lord of the gods and enjoy the divine pleasures of the gods in heaven.
Meaning
May aspirants climb up to a certain height on the ladder of Yoga. They are irresistibly swept away by the temptation of the higher planes (the heaven, and the plane of the celestial beings, etc.). They lose their power of discrimination and right understanding and thery lose themselves in heavenly enjoyments. The dwellers of the higher planes, the shining ones, tempt the aspirants in a variety of ways. They say unto them, O Yogi, we are very much pleased with your austerities and dispassion, spiritual practices and divine alities. This is the plane for your final resting which you have obtained through your merit and your austerities. We are all your servants to obey your orders and carry out your ,nds or behests. Here is the celestial car for you. You can move about anywhere you like. Here are the celestial damsels to attend on you. They will please you with their celestial music. Here is the wishfulfilling ree which will give you whatever you want. Here is the celestial nectar in the golden cup, which will make you immortal. Here is the celestial lake of supreme joy. You can swim freely in this lake. The uncautious Yogi is easily carried away by the invitations of the gods and the sweet flowery speeches. He gets false satisfaction or contentment. He thinks that he has reached the highest goal of Yoga
After Swami Sivananda
How people reach for God· 9.11–9.25→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 9.11Fools disregard Me, clad in human form, not knowing My higher Being as the great Lord of all beings.
- 9.12They are possessed of the deceitful nature of demons and undivine beings, filled with vain hopes, vain actions, and vain knowledge that is senseless.
- 9.13But the great souls, O Arjuna, partaking of My divine nature, worship Me with a single-minded devotion, knowing Me as the imperishable source of all beings.
- 9.14Always glorifying Me, striving, firm in their vows, prostrating themselves before Me, they worship Me with steadfast devotion.
- 9.15Others also, sacrificing with the wisdom-sacrifice, worship Me, the All-Faced, as one, distinct, and manifold.
- 9.16I am Kratu; I am Yajna; I am the offering to the manes; I am the medicinal herbs and all plants; I am the Mantra; I am also the ghee or melted butter; I am the fire; I am the oblation.
- 9.17I am the father of this world, the mother, the dispenser of the fruits of actions, and the grandfather; the one thing to be known, the purifier, the sacred monosyllable (Om), and also the Rik, Sama, and Yajur Vedas.
- 9.18I am the goal, the supporter, the Lord, the witness, the abode, the shelter, the friend, the origin, the dissolution, the foundation, the treasure-house, and the imperishable seed.
- 9.19As the sun, I give heat; I withhold and send forth the rain; I am immortality and also death, existence and non-existence, O Arjuna.
9.20The knowers of the three Vedas, the drinkers of Soma, purified of all sins, worshipping Me through sacrifices, pray for the way to heaven; they reach the holy world of the Lord of the gods and enjoy the divine pleasures of the gods in heaven.
- 9.21They, having enjoyed the vast heaven, enter the world of mortals when their merit is exhausted; thus abiding by the injunctions of the three (Vedas) and desiring objects of desires, they attain to the state of coming and going.
- 9.22For those men who worship Me alone, thinking of no one else, for those ever-united, I secure what they have not already possessed and preserve what they already possess.
- 9.23Even those devotees who, endowed with faith, worship other gods, worship Me alone, O Arjuna, but by the wrong method.
- 9.24For I alone am the enjoyer and Lord of all sacrifices; but they do not know Me in reality, and thus they return to this mortal world.
- 9.25The worshippers of the gods go to them; the ancestor-worshippers go to the manes; the worshippers of the deities who preside over the elements go to them; but My devotees come to Me.
Word-by-word→
- te
- they
- divi
- in heaven
- mām
- me
- lokam
- abode
- pūta
- purified
- divyān
- celestial
- puṇyam
- pious
- āsādya
- attain
- aśhnanti
- enjoy
- pāpāḥ
- sins
- sura-indra
- of Indra
- yajñaiḥ
- through sacrifices
- iṣhṭvā
- worship
- soma-pāḥ
- drinkers of the Soma juice
- deva-bhogān
- the pleasures of the celestial gods
- svaḥ-gatim
- way to the abode of the king of heaven
- prārthayante
- seek
- trai-vidyāḥ
- the science of karm kāṇḍ (Vedic Rituals)
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