9.23 Worshipping me without knowing Krishna speaks
येऽप्यन्यदेवता भक्ता यजन्ते श्रद्धयाऽन्विताः
तेऽपि मामेव कौन्तेय यजन्त्यविधिपूर्वकम्
ye ’pyanya-devatā-bhaktā yajante śhraddhayānvitāḥ
te ’pi mām eva kaunteya yajantyavidhi-pūrvakam
Even those who devote themselves to other gods and worship them with faith worship me alone, son of Kunti, though not knowing it.
Explanation
Those who worship other gods worship him without knowing.
With faith, and it counts. The claim goes further than 7.21, where he merely steadied their faith; here the worship reaches him regardless of the address on it.
Which is one of the most consequential lines in the book for anyone reading it from outside the tradition it was written in.
Word by word
- ye
- those who
- api
- although
- anya
- other
- devatā
- celestial gods
- bhaktāḥ
- devotees
- yajante
- worship
- śhraddhayā anvitāḥ
- faithfully
- te
- they
- api
- also
- mām
- me
- eva
- only
- kaunteya
- Arjun, the son of Kunti
- yajanti
- worship
- avidhi-pūrvakam
- by the wrong method
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