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Gita Shloka of the Day – Chapter 9, Shlokas 23-25

ye’pyanyadevataa bhaktaa yajante shraddhayaa’nvitaaH | te’pi maameva kaunteya yajantyavidhi-poorvakam || 23 || aham hi sarvayajnaanaam bhoktaa cha prabhureva cha | na tu maam abhijaananti tattvenaatash chyavanti te || 24 || yaanti devavrataa devaan pitRoon yaanti pitRvrataaH | bhootaani yaanti bhootejyaa yaanti madyaajino’pi maam || 25 || Word meanings: ye – Who; api – even; anya-devataaH – other gods; bhaktaaH – devotees; yajante – worship; shraddhayaa – with shraddhaa (faith); anvitaaH – endued with; te – they; api – also; maam – Me; eva – alone; kaunteya – O Arjuna; yajanti – worship; avidhi-poorvakam – by the wrong method. aham– I; hi – indeed; sarva-yajnaanaam – of all Yajnas; bhoktaa – enjoyer; cha – and; prabhuH – Lord; eva – alone; cha – also; na – not; tu – but; maam – Me; abhijaananti – recognize; tattvena – in truth; ataH – therefore; chyavanti – return; te – they. yaanti – Reach; deva-vrataaH – those who worship devas; devaan – the devas; pitRoon – the pitrs (souls of ancestors); yaanti – reach; pitR-vrataaH – those who worship pitrs; bhootaani – other divine beings; yaanti – reach; bhootejyaH – those who worship other divine beings; yaanti – reach; madyaajinaH – those who worship Me; api – also; maam – Me. Meaning: Those devotees who worship other gods with shraddhaa, worship Me alone, but by the wrong method. Because I alone am the Lord and enjoyer of all yajnas. But they do not know Me in reality and hence return to this world. Those who worship devas reach the devas and those who worship the pitris reach the pitris and those who worship other divine beings reach them. But those who worship Me reach Me alone. Notes: Any worship done with a desire for anything lower than the Supreme Lord will bring one back to circle of life and death. That is why it is the wrong method of worship.