Bhagavad Gita · Raja Vidya Raja Guhya YogaChapter 9, Shloka 23 (9.23)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
येऽप्यन्यदेवताभक्ता यजन्ते श्रद्धयाऽन्विताः
तेऽपि मामेव कौन्तेय यजन्त्यविधिपूर्वकम्
॥ 9.23 ॥
ye'pyanyadevatābhaktā yajante śraddhayā'nvitāḥ
te'pi māmeva kaunteya yajantyavidhipūrvakam
Translation
"O Kaunteya, those devotees of other deities who worship them with faith also worship me alone — but not in the proper way (without full understanding)."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. Śraddhayā āstikya-buddhyā anvitāḥ — endowed with a believing mind; te'pi mām eva … yajanti avidhi-pūrvakam, avidhiḥ ajñānaṃ tat-pūrvakaṃ yajante — they too worship me alone, but out of ignorance.
Acharya Ramanuja — the deities are the Lord's body. Sarvasya mac-charīratayā mad-ātmatvena indrādi-śabdānāṃ ca mad-vācitvād vastuto mām eva yajante — all is my body, I am the self of all, and words like Indra ultimately refer to me — so in truth they worship me alone; api tu avidhi-pūrvakaṃ … indrādīnāṃ devatānāṃ karmasu ārādhyatayā anvayaṃ yathā vedānta-vākyāni … vidadhati na tat-pūrvakaṃ yajante — but not in the way that Vedanta teaches Indra and the others to be worshipped (as the body of the Supreme Person). Evidence Taittiriya Aranyaka 4.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.