Gita 7.23
Jnana Vijnana Yoga
अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम् । देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि ॥
antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām devān deva-yajo yānti mad-bhaktā yānti mām api
In essence: Worship for finite rewards yields finite results; only those who seek the infinite attain the infinite.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "Guruji, 'alpa-medhasām'—small intelligence—sounds harsh. Is Krishna calling people stupid?"
Guru: "Not stupid—limited in vision. If someone trades a diamond for a candy because they don't know its value, they're not stupid, just uninformed. Most people don't realize they can have the infinite; they settle for fragments."
Sadhak: "But achieving heaven sounds pretty good. Why is that 'small understanding'?"
Guru: "Heaven is temporary—the Gita says this clearly elsewhere. After exhausting the merit that earned heaven, one returns to mortal existence. Imagine working your whole life for a vacation that ends. Small understanding because you worked for an ending, when an unending was available."
Sadhak: "So worshipping deities leads to temporary results, but worshipping Krishna leads to permanent liberation?"
Guru: "More precisely: worshipping for temporary things leads to temporary results, regardless of whom you worship. And seeking the ultimate reality leads to ultimate liberation. Krishna here represents that ultimate—but it's the quality of seeking, not just the name used."
Sadhak: "'Mad-bhaktā yānti mām'—but isn't this just Krishna saying 'worship me instead'?"
Guru: "Remember what Krishna has already said: He is the source of all gods, the essence in everything. 'Me' here isn't a personal form competing with other forms—it's the infinite consciousness that all forms emerge from. Seeking THAT, you attain THAT."
Sadhak: "So the problem isn't worshipping deities, but stopping at the deity instead of going to the source?"
Guru: "Exactly. Deities can be doorways to the infinite or endpoints in themselves. Used as doorways—as many great saints have done—they lead to Krishna, to liberation. Used as vending machines for desires, they give what's requested and nothing more."
Sadhak: "How do I know if I'm treating my practice as a doorway or an endpoint?"
Guru: "Ask yourself: Do I want things FROM the divine, or do I want the divine itself? Am I seeking blessings or seeking the Blesser? Am I praying for a better life, or praying to dissolve into infinite life?"
Sadhak: "I want both, honestly. I want my life to improve AND I want liberation."
Guru: "That's honest. Start where you are. Even desiring liberation is a desire. But as you practice, let the desires become subtler. Let 'improve my life' become 'expand my consciousness.' The direction matters more than the starting point."
Did this resonate with you? Share it with someone who needs to hear this.
🌅 Daily Practice
Begin your practice by consciously expanding your intention. Instead of listing what you want, state: 'Today I seek not just blessings but the Blesser. Not just peace, but the source of all peace. Not just a better life, but the Life behind all lives.'
When you achieve something you desired—a goal met, a wish fulfilled—notice how quickly the satisfaction fades. Not to be cynical, but to recognize: 'This is antavat—having an end. What would it feel like to attain something that doesn't end?'
Meditate on infinity. Not as a concept, but as a felt sense. What would it mean to merge with something that has no ending, no boundary, no 'outside'? Let this pull your deepest longing beyond temporary satisfactions toward the permanent source.