Verse 9.25

यान्ति देवव्रता देवान्पितॄन्यान्ति पितृव्रताः ।

भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्या यान्ति मद्याजिनोऽपि माम् ॥

9.25

Transliteration

yānti devavratā devānpitṝnyānti pitṛvratāḥ |

bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā yānti madyājino'pi mām ||

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

Translation

The worshippers of the gods go to them; to the manes go the ancestor-worshippers; to the deities who preside over the elements go their worshippers; but My devotees come to Me.

From the owner's sheet · +1 more

Word by word

go
votaries of gods
to the gods
to the ancestors
go
votaries of ancestors

to the spirits
go
worshippers of spirits
go
my worshippers
indeed
to me

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

Explanation

Krishna states a principle of correspondence. Those devoted to the gods go to the gods; those devoted to the ancestors go to the ancestors; those who worship spirits go to the spirits; and those who worship Krishna come to him. People reach what they give themselves to. The verse is less a judgment than a description of how worship shapes destiny. It invites Arjuna to consider what he himself most deeply honours, since that will determine where his life leads.