BhG 7.23

antavat tu phalaṃ teṣāṃ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām
devān deva-yajo yānti mad-bhaktā yānti mām api

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syntax


teṣāṁ tu (but of those) alpa-medhasām (less intelligent) tat phalam (thay fruit) antavat (temporary) bhavati (it is).
deva-yajaḥ (those who worship divinities) devān (to divinities) yānti (they go),
mad-bhaktāḥ (my devotees) mām api (however to me) yānti (they go).

 

grammar

antavat anta-vant 1n.1 n.which has the end, temporary (from: anta – the end, limit, boundary, death; -mant / -vant – suffix denoting one who possesses);
tu av.but, then, or, and;
phalam phala 1n.1 n.fruit, result (from: phal – to ripen);
teṣām tat sn. 6n.3 m.of those;
tat tat sn. 1n.1 n.that;
bhavati bhū (to be) Praes. P 1v.1it is;
alpa-medhasām alpa-medhas 6n.3 m.; BV: yeṣāṁ medho ‘lpam asti teṣāmof those whose intelligence is small / of those whose sacrifice is small (from: alpa – small, minute, trifling; medhas = medhā – intelligence, understanding, sacrifice);
devān deva 2n.3 m.the gods, divinities (from: div – to shine, to play);
deva-yajaḥ deva-yaj 1n.3 m.; ye devān yajantīti tewho worship divinities (from: div – to shine, to play, deva – god, divinity; yaj – to consecrate, to sacrifice, to worship, -yaj – suffix: worshipper, sacrificer);
yānti (to go, to attain) Praes. P 1v.3they go, they attain;
mad-bhaktāḥ mad-bhakta 1n.3 m.; TP: mama bhaktā itimy devotees (from: mat – the basic form of a personal ponoun „I” singular used in compounds; bhaj – to share, to love, to rejoice, to worship, PP bhakta – distributed, divided, loved; worshipper, devotee, loving);
yānti (to go, to attain) Praes. P 1v.3they go, they attain;
mām asmat sn. 2n.1me;
api av.although, moreover, besides, even;

 

textual variants


… → after the third pada of verse BhG 7.23 there are four padas not found in critical edition:
… siddhān yānti siddhavratāḥ
bhūtān bhūtayajo yānti pitṝn yānti pitṛvratāḥ
bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā …
…those who make vows for Siddhas they go to Siddhas,
those sacrificing for Śiva they go to Śiva,
those sacrificing for ancestors they go to ancestors,
worshippers of ghosts go to ghosts…

(Two last padas not found in critical edition are the same as the second and third pada of verse BhG 9.25;)

 
 



Śāṃkara


yasmād antavat sādhana-vyāpārāvivekinaḥ kāminaś ca te | ataḥ—

antavad vināśi tu phalaṃ teṣāṃ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām alpa-prajñānām | devān deva-yajo yānti devān yajantīti deva-yajaḥ, te devān yānti | mad-bhaktā yānti mām api | evaṃ samāne’py āyāse mām eva na prapadyante’nanta-phalāya | aho khalu kaṣṭaṃ vartata ity anukrośaṃ darśayati bhagavān

 

Rāmānuja


teṣām alpamedhasām alpabuddhīnām indrādimātrayājināṃ tadārādhanaphalam alpam, antavac ca bhavati / kutaḥ? devān devayajo yānti yata indrādīn devān tadyājino yānti / indrādayo ‚pi hi paricchinnabhogāḥ parimitakālavartinaś ca / tatas tatsāyujyaṃ prāptāḥ tais saha pracyavante / madbhaktā api teṣām eva karmaṇāṃ madārādhanarūpatāṃ jñātvā paricchinnaphalasaṅgaṃ tyaktvā matprīṇanaikaprayojanāḥ māṃ prāpnuvanti; na ca punar nivartante / „mām upetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate” iti hi vakṣyate

 

Śrīdhara


tad evaṃ yadyapi sarvā api devatāḥ sarvātmano mamaiva tanavaḥ | atas tad-ārādhanam api vastuto mad-ārādhanam eva | tatra phala-dātāpi cāham eva | tathāpi sākṣān-mad-bhaktānāṃ teṣāṃ ca phala-vaiṣamyaṃ bhavatīty āha antavad iti | alpa-medhasāṃ paricchanna-dṛṣṭīnāṃ mayā dattam api tat-phalam antavad vināśi bhavati | tad evāha devān yajantīti deva-yajaḥ | te devān antavato yānti | mad-bhaktās tu mām anādy-anantaṃ paramānandaṃ prāpnuvanti

 

Madhusūdana


yadyapi sarvā api devatāḥ sarvātmano mamaiva tanavas tad-ārādhanam api vastuto mad-ārādhanam eva sarvatrāpi ca phala-dātāntaryāmy aham eva, tathāpi sākṣān-mad-bhaktānāṃ ca teṣāṃ ca vastu-vivekāviveka-kṛtaṃ phala-vaiṣamyaṃ bhavatīty āha antavad iti | alpa-medhasāṃ manda-prajñatvena vastu-vivekāsamarthānāṃ teṣāṃ tat-tad-devatā-bhaktānāṃ tan mayā vihitam api tat-tad-devatārādhanajaṃ phalam antavad eva vināśy eva na tu mad-bhaktānāṃ vivekinām ivānantaṃ phalaṃ teṣām ity arthaḥ | kutaḥ ? evaṃ yato devān indrādīn antavata eva deva-yajo mad-anya-devatārādhana-parā yānti prāpnuvanti | mad-bhaktās tu trayaḥ sa-kāmāḥ prathamaṃ mat-prasādād abhīṣṭān kāmān prāpnuvanti | api-śabda-prayogāt tato mad-upāsanā-paripākān mām anantam ānanda-ghanam īśvaram api yānti prāpnuvanti | ataḥ samāne ‚pi sakāmatve mad-bhaktānām anya-devatā-bhaktānāṃ ca mahad-antaram | tasmāt sādhūktam udārāḥ sarva evaita iti

 

Viśvanātha


kintu teṣāṃ devatāntara-bhaktānām phalaṃ tat-tad-devatārādhana-janyam antavat naśvaraṃ kaiñcitkālikaṃ bhavati | nanu ārādhane śrame tulyo ‚pi devatāntara-bhaktānāṃ phalaṃ naśvaraṃ karoṣi, sva-bhaktānāṃ tv anaśvaraṃ karoṣīti tvayi parameśvare ‚yam anyāyas tatra nāyam anyāya ity āha deva-yajo deva-pūjakā devān eva yānti prāpnuvanti | mat-pūjakā api mām | ayam arthaḥ | ye hi yat-pūjakās te tān prāpnuvanty eveti nyāya eva | tatra yadi devā api naśvarās tadā tad-bhaktāḥ katham anaśvarā bhavantu | kathantarāṃ yā tad bhajana-phalaṃ vā na naśyatu | ataeva tad-bhaktā alpa-medhasa uktāḥ | bhagavāṃs tu nityas tad-bhaktā api nityās tad-bhakti-bhakti-phalaṃ ca sarvaṃ nityam eveti

 

Baladeva


nanu devāś cet tvat-tanavas tarhi deva-bhaktānāṃ tad-bhaktānāṃ ca samānaṃ phalaṃ syād iti cet tatrāha antavad iti | teṣām alpa-medhasām ādityādi-mātra-buddhyā, na tu mat-tanuvudbhyārādhayatāṃ tat-tat-phalam alpam antavad vināśi ca bhavati, mat-tanuvudbhyārādhayatāṃ tu phalam anantam avināśi ceti bhāvaḥ | yasmād ādityādi-deva-yājinas tān svejyān mita-bhogān mitāyuṣo yāntīti, mad-bhaktās tu mām eva nityāparimita-svarūpa-guṇa-vibhūti-mad-ārādhana-phalam anantam avināśi ceit mahad-antaram ity arthaḥ

 
 



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