7.23 But the fruit has an end Krishna speaks

अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम्
देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि

antavat tu phalaṁ teṣhāṁ tad bhavatyalpa-medhasām
devān deva-yajo yānti mad-bhaktā yānti mām api

But the fruit they gain has an end, for their understanding is small. Worshippers of the gods go to the gods; those devoted to me come to me.

Explanation

And then the limit, which is not a rebuke either.

The fruit they gain has an end. Worshippers of the gods go to the gods; those devoted to him come to him.

The same objection chapter 8 makes to Brahma's world and chapter 5 makes to pleasure: not that the reward is false but that it runs out. The Gita's complaint is almost always about duration.

Word by word

anta-vat: perishable
tu: but
phalam: fruit
teṣhām: by them
tat: that
bhavati: is
alpa-medhasām: people of small understanding
devān: to the celestial gods
deva-yajaḥ: the worshipers of the celestial gods
yānti: go
mat: my
bhaktāḥ: devotees
yānti: go
mām: to me
api: whereas