Verse 9.24

अहं हि सर्वयज्ञानां भोक्ता च प्रभुरेव च ।

न तु मामभिजानन्ति तत्त्वेनातश्च्यवन्ति ते ॥

9.24

Transliteration

ahaṃ hi sarvayajñānāṃ bhoktā ca prabhureva ca |

na tu māmabhijānanti tattvenātaścyavanti te ||

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3

Translation

(For) I alone am the enjoyer and also the Lord of all sacrifices; but they do not know Me in essence (in reality), and hence they fall (return to this mortal world).

From the owner's sheet · +1 more

Word by word

I
indeed
of all sacrifices
the enjoyer
and
the lord
also
and

not
but
me
know
in truth
therefore
fall
they

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08

Explanation

Krishna explains why. He alone is the enjoyer and lord of all sacrifices. But those who do not know him in truth fall back, cyavanti, into the cycle. Their worship reaches him, but because they do not recognize him, they do not attain the lasting goal. The verse locates the difference not in the act of worship but in understanding. It is knowledge of the true recipient of every offering that turns ritual into a path of release.