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Verse 9.20

Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit

त्रैविद्या मां सोमपाः पूतपापा यज्ञैरिष्ट्वा स्वर्गतिं प्रार्थयन्ते | ते पुण्यमासाद्य सुरेन्द्रलोकमश्नन्ति दिव्यान्दिवि देवभोगान् ||२०||

Transliteration (IAST)

trai-vidyā māṁ soma-pāḥ pūta-pāpā yajñair iṣṭvā svar-gatiṁ prārthayante te puṇyam āsādya surendra-lokam aśnanti divyān divi deva-bhogān

Word-by-Word Meanings

trai-vidyāḥ-knowers of three Vedas
soma-pāḥ-drinkers of soma
pūta-pāpāḥ-purified of sins
yajñaiḥ-by sacrifices
svar-gatim-passage to heaven
deva-bhogān-celestial pleasures

Translation

Those who know the three Vedas, who drink the soma juice and are purified of sins, worship Me through sacrifices and pray for passage to heaven. They reach the holy realm of Indra and enjoy celestial pleasures.

Commentary

Krishna begins contrasting sakāma (desire-motivated) worship with niṣkāma (selfless) devotion. Vedic ritualists attain heaven through merit but this is temporary. The verse acknowledges the validity of Vedic worship while preparing to show its limitation in the next verse.

Themes

karmadharmabhakti