Bhagavad Gita · Raja Vidya Raja Guhya YogaChapter 9, Shloka 25 (9.25)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
यान्ति देवव्रता देवान् पितॄन् यान्ति पितृव्रताः
भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्या यान्ति मद्याजिनोऽपि माम्
॥ 9.25 ॥
yānti devavratā devān pitṝn yānti pitṛvratāḥ
bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā yānti madyājino'pi mām
Translation
"Worshippers of the gods go to the gods, worshippers of the ancestors go to the ancestors, worshippers of spirits go to the spirits — and my worshippers come to me alone."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. Deva-vratāḥ deveṣu vrataṃ niyamo bhaktiś ca yeṣāṃ; pitṛ-vratāḥ śrāddhādi-kriyā-parāḥ; bhūtāni vināyaka-mātṛ-gaṇa-catur-bhaginy-ādīni — spirits, that is, Vinayaka, the Matrigana, the Chaturbhagini and others (Shankara's list); mad-yājinaḥ … vaiṣṇavāḥ mām eva yānti; samāne api āyāse mām eva na bhajante ajñānāt, tena te alpa-phala-bhājaḥ — the effort is the same, but out of ignorance they do not worship me, and so they get a small fruit.
Acharya Ramanuja — "vrata" = intention. Vrata-śabdaḥ saṃkalpa-vācī — vrata means resolve; those resolved "we will worship Indra and the others" go to them; those resolved "we will worship the ancestors" go to the ancestors; yakṣa-rakṣaḥ-piśācādīni bhūtāni — those resolved on spirits such as yakshas, rakshasas and pishachas go to them; but ye tu taiḥ eva yajñaiḥ deva-pitṛ-bhūta-śarīrakaṃ paramātmānaṃ bhagavantaṃ vāsudevaṃ yajāmaḥ iti māṃ yajante — those who, with those very same yajnas, worship Vasudeva, whose body the gods, ancestors and spirits are, attain me.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.