Bhagavad Gita BG 9.24
Chapter 9, Verse 24 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
अहं हि सर्वयज्ञानां भोक्ता च प्रभुरेव च । न तु मामभिजानन्ति तत्त्वेनातश्च्यवन्ति ते ॥
aham hi sarva-yajnanam bhokta ca prabhur eva ca na tu mam abhijananti tattvena 'tash cyavanti te
Meaning
For I am the enjoyer and the lord of all yajnas. But they do not know Me in truth — therefore they fall.
Understanding
The reason for 'falling' when worshipping other gods without knowing Krishna. Aham hi (for I — the emphatic 'hi' makes this a statement of cosmic fact). Sarva-yajnanam bhokta (the enjoyer of all yajnas — the one who actually receives and enjoys all sacrifice, regardless of to whom it is outwardly addressed). Prabhuh (the lord — the sovereign of all). Na tu mam abhijananti tattvena (but they do not know Me in truth — tattva = truth, the real nature). Atash cyavanti te (therefore they fall — cyavanti: slip, fall, lose the full fruit). The fall is not punishment but consequence: not knowing the true nature of the Supreme, they obtain partial results through partial agents (the other gods). The complete is reached by knowing the Complete.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| भोक्ता | bhokta | the enjoyer, the one who receives and experiences the sacrifice |
| प्रभुः | prabhuh | the lord, the sovereign, the master |
| अभिजानन्ति | abhijananti | know (with full recognition) — abhijanati = to know deeply/fully |
| तत्त्वेन | tattvena | in truth, in reality, according to the true nature (tattva) |
| च्यवन्ति | cyavanti | fall, slip, lose position — do not obtain the full result |
| अहम् | aham | I am |
| हि | hi | indeed |
| सर्व-यज्ञानाम् | sarva-yajñānām | of all sacrifices |
| भोक्ता | bhoktā | the enjoyer |
| च | ca | and |
| प्रभुः | prabhuḥ | the lord |
| एव | eva | indeed |
| च | ca | and |
| न | na | not |
| तु | tu | but |
| माम् | mām | Me |
| अभिजानन्ति | abhijānanti | they know truly |
| अतः | ataḥ | therefore |
| ते | te | they |
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